RORY PASSES FIRST TEST

Mcllroy keeps home fans content with opening 70

- By Andy Dunn

IF there is one thing you can say with absolute certainty about Rory McIlroy, it is that he likes to please the crowd.

In fact, as he found only two of the 14 fairways off the tee, he spent a fair bit of his opening round in it.

The Royal Portrush galleries, particularly those lining the left side of their chosen holes, loved getting up close and personal, McIlroy not so much. No wonder he appeared to mouth the f-word after coming out of a bunker on the 12th hole.

But a combination of issues was behind his frustration, one of which was probably the painstakingly-slow pace of play. Make no mistake, this was a real test for McIlroy.

A real test of patience and a real test of his temperament. And over almost a quarter of a day on the golf course, he did not flunk the tests. He did not pass them with flying colours but he certainly did not flunk them.