Defending champion Rory McIlroy makes strong start at Scottish Open

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Rory McIlroy recovered from his disappointment at the US Open and started off the defence of his Scottish Open title in a strong way. Justin Thomas, who was feeling frustrated, missed the chance to make history.

Returning to competition after narrowly missing out on a fifth major title at Pinehurst, McIlroy scored a five-under-par 65 at the Renaissance Club. He is currently three shots behind the leader Thomas, who shot a flawless 62.

In the DP World Tour, Thomas had a chance to achieve only the second 59 in history. He was playing exceptionally well, scoring eight under on the first 13 holes of the par-70 course. However, he was unable to continue his streak and ended up scoring only par on the last five holes.

Thomas realized that the par was actually 70, not 71, so he thought to himself, "If I can get a few more birdies, I could potentially shoot 59."

After that, surprisingly, I managed to make five pars in a row which really irritated me. I was really aiming for a score of 59, maybe even lower, but as we all know, things can go south when you start getting ahead of yourself.

"It's always nice to have a good beginning, and even better to have a fantastic one. I felt like I was completely in charge of everything."

During a day where scores were not high, Thomas was in the lead by one shot ahead of Sungjae Im from South Korea. Ryder Cup player Ludvig Aberg was on six under, while McIlroy was part of a big group on five under along with Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

McIlroy made an impressive chip shot for an eagle on his 12th hole of the day and managed to score five birdies as well. However, he missed out on some good opportunities to score on three of his last five holes.

"I made a few shots in the first few holes that I haven't practiced in the past 10 days, so it was a good reminder that golf can be more challenging than I realize," McIlroy said, smiling.

"However, I began to feel great as the game went on. Specifically during the first half of the course, I was able to hit some impressive drives and accurate iron shots."

I had many opportunities to improve my game on the last nine holes and I feel like I could have done even better. It was a good start, especially considering the rough beginning I had in the first few holes.

McIlroy was in the lead by two shots with five holes left to play in the US Open. However, he made mistakes on three of the last four holes, including missing short putts on the 16th and 18th, ultimately finishing one shot behind Bryson DeChambeau.

The 35-year-old stated that he will not let a few bad holes affect how he perceives his overall performance on the course.

I didn't just perform well at the US Open. I also had strong showings at the Canadian Open, Memorial, US PGA, and Quail Hollow. My game has been in top form, both leading up to this event and during it.

"It's all about staying present and concentrating on the job in front of you without getting distracted. I believe I successfully achieved that today."

Fleetwood, who came close to winning this event last year but lost in a play-off, was really happy to have his longtime caddie Ian Finnis back with him on the course. Finnis had to have surgery on his heart earlier this year, but now he's back doing what he loves.

"It feels amazing," Fleetwood said after a round where he hit five birdies and didn't have any bogeys.

"It feels great to have had a successful first week, especially for him. We did an excellent job, and everything just seemed to click today. He made some smart choices, making it feel like he never left."

Scottish golfer Robert MacIntyre, who was disappointed last year when Rory McIlroy made an impressive finish to win, scored five birdies and two bogeys in his first round with a total score of 68.