McIlroy leads Open as lurking Tiger growls at mobile phones

Northern Irishman cards six under as Woods mounts charge and gives fans the silent treatment

Tiger Woods
(Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy topped the leaderboard after the first round of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, carding an impressive 66 to lead the field at Hoylake. . The Northern Irishman, a two-times major winner, was one shot clear of Italy's Matteo Manassero and two better than a group of seven players including world No 1 Adam Scott and Spain's Sergio Garcia.

Luck – and the sun – shone on McIlroy during his round. The Northern Irishman enjoyed the best of the conditions before a stiff breeze sprang up later in the day making life difficult for some of his rivals. Nonetheless, in posting a bogey-free six-under-par round, McIlroy achieved his second-lowest round in the Open, bettered only by the 63 he shot at St Andrews four years ago.

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Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.