Rory McIlroy’s dream of winning the Open Championship on home soil is effectively over after he slumped to an opening 79 at Royal Portrush. It is not the first time that McIlroy has posted such a high score in a major and, here, PA looks at some of the 30-year-old’s previous struggles. 2013 Open Championship, Muirfield, 1st roundA first round of 79 at Muirfield left McIlroy labelling his own play as “brain dead” as he continued to struggle following his controversial multi-million pound switch to Nike equipment in January. A back nine of 42 included McIlroy putting off the 15th green into a bunker. READ MORE Rory McIlroy endures miserable start and finish at the OpenPA

Source: Irish Examiner July 18, 2019 16:30 UTC