It was a return six years in the making, and it was a return that perfectly encapsulated Rory McIlroy. Making the trek back to Royal Portrush for The Open Championship -- now as a career grand slam winner -- the Northern Irishman experienced a topsy-turvy day as the hard stuff came easy and the easy stuff came hard.

Rory McIlroy experimentó nuevamente esa sensación de zozobra en el primer hoyo en Royal Portrush. De acuerdo, el héroe

Second round groupings and start times at Royal Portrush including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler - McIlroy, playing with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, is one of the early starters in Friday’s second round and sits just three shots behind the leaders overnight,

Hello and welcome to live coverage of day two of the Open. It was a memorable first day at Royal Portrush where Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy made solid starts to the championship in rounds that promised more at times, but kept them well in contention at three shots back on one under.

McIlroy ejected on the first hole and ultimately missed the cut when The Open was last played in his home country of Northern Ireland

McIlroy scrapped on Thursday to end -1 and three shots behind the leaders, with Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton just one stroke back heading into Friday’s second round

Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.

Six years ago at Royal Portrush, McIlroy, who grew up less than an hour away, hit his opening shot out of bounds on the par-4 first on his way to a quadruple-bogey 8 and a 79. He pulled his tee shot again, this time around, but it settled safely in the left rough.