OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP DAY ONE

Rory McIlroy plunders defenceless Old Course with a 63

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE

Rory McIlroy put himself into golf's record books with a sensational start to The Open over the Old Course, St Andrews today.

On a course where he had never failed to break 70 in eight previous visits either as an amateur or professional, the 21-year-old equalled the lowest round in major history with a nine under par 63.

And it could so easily have been the first 62 and a three-stroke lead over South African stablemate Louis Oosthuizen as the first day's play drew to a close.

The Road Hole 17th, always the likeliest place for him to trip up and the scene of Tiger Woods' only bogey as the 2000 and 2005 champion kicked off with a 67, instead saw McIlroy hit a towering six-iron to three feet.
Only one under on a morning when world number 455 John Daly, inspired on his return to the course where he won in 1995, reached seven under after 11 holes, McIlroy drove the green on the 352-yard ninth and sank a 15-foot eagle putt. He came home in a 30 with birdies at the 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and the last.

Daly, in contrast, cooled on the way home and posted a 66, as did playing partner and former Ryder Cup Scot Andrew Coltart, himself only 408th on the rankings and back inside the ropes after two years of radio work.

The wind was picking up as they finished, but that did not stop Oosthuizen threatening to at least catch McIlroy. The 27-year-old, who had his first European Tour victory in March, charged to eight under with three to play, but bogeyed the lengthened 17th and parred the other two.

Daly and Coltart, meanwhile, were joined in third spot by Kent-based Challenge Tour player Steve Tiley, Welshman Bradley Dredge and Swede Peter Hanson.

Lee Westwood, playing with a torn calf muscle, had five successive birdies from the fifth, but played the other 13 holes in level par. Tom Watson, one putt away from winning at 59 last year, could not reproduce that magic and handed in a 73.

Stewart Cink, the man who beat him in a play-off, scored 70, one better than Masters champion and world number two Phil Mickelson, who had to wait until the final green for his first birdie.

The 21-year-old McIlroy's effort means there have now been 24 rounds of 63 in major championship history McIlroy is the 22nd player to achieve the feat and the first in the Open since Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart 17 years ago.

Those rounds were seven under par at Royal St George's, McIlroy joining England's Paul Broadhurst (St Andrews, 1990) as the only players to shoot rounds of nine under in the Open.

McIlroy admitted he had been inspired by seeing compatriot Graeme McDowell win the US Open at Pebble Beach last month.

"It's given me a lot of belief knowing a good friend of mine could go out and win a major, there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to do the same as well," he said.

"Hopefully I can keep it going over the next few days. You really needed to take advantage of the conditions this morning and thankfully I was able to do that. We will see what the weather does tomorrow."

The 21-year-old Ulsterman admitted the prospect of making history had crossed his mind before he missed a short birdie putt on the 17th.

"It sort of went through my mind on 17 that 62 would have been the lowest round in a major. That's probably why I missed the putt," said McIlroy, who joins England's Paul Broadhurst (St Andrews 1990) as the only players to shoot rounds of nine under in the Open, and also now has the lowest opening round in Open history.

"It was a fantastic score. I didn't get off to a flying start. I was one under through eight holes and then the eagle on nine (where he holed from 15 feet after driving the green) really sort of turned things around for me and I just got going from there."

Asked if he was annoyed to miss out on the record, McIlroy - who carded a closing 62 to win his maiden US Tour title at Quail Hollow earlier this season - added: "No, I don't think I can come off feeling let down. I'm leading the Open Championship.

"But definitely the one on 17 was one I let get away. I had a very similar (second) shot in 2007, same club. The pin was sort of tucked more around the bunker, but I hit a six iron there to three feet and made that putt that day.

"Today it looked as if it had to go a little bit right to left. I just said 'I'm going to hit it firm and I'm going to hit it straight'. I hit it and I pushed it a little bit."

The early starters certainly made the most of the change in weather from the strong wind and rain which forced the cancellation of yesterday's Champions Challenge.

Daly's 66 could easily have been much better, the 44-year-old lying seven under with seven to play only to see four birdie putts catch the edge of the hole and stay out.

"I'm not too disappointed but I hit four putts coming in which I thought I had made. I left some out there," admitted Daly, who had missed the cut in eight of his 12 Open appearances since lifting the Claret Jug 15 years ago.

"This is only the seventh or eighth tournament I've been healthy to play in the last three years and I'm starting to get some confidence back in my game."

Playing partner Coltart birdied the 18th to match Daly's 66, the Scot playing his first Open since 2002 after coming through qualifying at Sunningdale.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
63 Rory McIlroy (NIrl)
65 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa)
66 Peter Hanson (Swe), John Daly (USA), Andrew Coltart (Sco), Steven Tiley (Eng), Bradley Dredge (Wal)
67 Nick Watney (USA), Tiger Woods (USA), Lucas Glover (USA), Marcel Siem (Ger), Sean O'Hair (USA), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Lee Westwood (Eng), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe), Y.E. Yang (Kor)
68 Ross Fisher (Eng), Oliver Wilson (Eng), John Senden (Aus), Jin Jeong (SKor) (am), Ricky Barnes (USA), Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn), Vijay Singh (Fij), Robert Rock (Eng), Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Shane Lowry (Irl), Camilo Villegas (Col), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Ross McGowan (Eng)
69 Retief Goosen (Rsa), Martin Kaymer (Ger), Simon Dyson (Eng), Dustin Johnson (USA), Hunter Mahan (USA), Robert Karlsson (Swe), Steve Marino (USA), Robert Allenby (Aus), Mark O'Meara (USA), Paul Lawrie (Sco), Ernie Els (Rsa), Paul Casey (Eng), Bo Van Pelt (USA), Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita)
70 Zane Scotland (Eng), Chris Wood (Eng), Stewart Cink (USA), Darren Clarke (NIrl), Toru Taniguchi (Jpn), Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor), Kevin Na (USA), J.B. Holmes (USA), Mark Calcavecchia (USA), Justin Rose (Eng), Thomas Bjorn (Den), Tano Goya (Arg), Ryan Moore (USA)
71 Steve Stricker, Hirofumi Miyase (Jpn), Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Graeme McDowell (NIrl), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Tom Lehman (USA), Jason Day (Aus), Kenny Perry (USA), Stephen Gallacher (Sco), Ian Poulter (Eng), Eric Chun (Kor), Tim Clark (Rsa)
72 Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Sir Nick Faldo (Eng), Seung-yul Noh (Kor), Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Soren Hansen (Den), Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Todd Hamilton (USA), Ben Crane (USA), Colm Moriarty (Irl), Michael Sim (Aus), Zach Johnson (USA), Adam Scott (Aus), Matt Kuchar (USA), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa), Tom Pernice Jnr. (USA), Alvaro Quiros (Spa), Mark F Haastrup (Den), Yuta Ikeda (Jpn), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Scott Verplank (USA)
73 Jeff Overton (USA), Bill Haas (USA), Alexander Noren (Swe), Marc Leishman (Aus), Mike Weir (Can), Gregory Havret (Fra), Jason Dufner (USA), Tom Watson (USA), Davis Love III (USA), Angel Cabrera (Arg), Rhys Davies (Wal), Peter Senior (Aus), Phil Mickelson (USA), Richard S Johnson (Swe), Loren Roberts (USA), Tom Whitehouse (Eng), Luke Donald (Eng), Padraig Harrington (Irl), Thomas Levet (Fra), Jamie Abbott (Eng)
74 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Koumei Oda (Jpn), Mathew Goggin (Aus), Colin Montgomerie (Sco), Shunsuke Sonoda (Jpn), Martin Laird (Sco), Bubba Watson (USA), Simon Khan (Eng)
75 Phillip Archer (Eng), Sandy Lyle (Sco), Hiroyuki Fujita (Jpn), Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
76 Justin Leonard (USA), Ryuichi Oda (Jpn), K J Choi (Kor), Ben Curtis (USA), Cameron Percy (Aus)
77 Katsumasa Miyamoto (Jpn), Jim Furyk (USA), Anders Hansen (Den), David Duval (USA)
79 Jerry Kelly (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA)
80 Victor Dubuisson (Fra) (am).
81 Ewan Porter (Aus)