Rory McIlroy bounces back from US Open heartbreak with fine Scottish Open start

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Rory McIlroy recovered from his disappointing performance at the US Open to have a strong beginning in the £7m Scottish Open as he attempted to defend his title.

After narrowly missing out on his fifth major title at Pinehurst, McIlroy is now competing for the first time. He shot a five-under-par 65 at the Renaissance Club, putting him just one shot behind the leaders, Max Kieffer and Li Haotong.

The second-ranked golfer made an impressive eagle shot on the third hole, his twelfth of the round, and scored five birdies. However, he missed some key opportunities on three of his final five holes.

McIlroy commented with a smile that he hit some shots during the first few holes that he hadn't practiced in the past 10 days. It served as a reminder that golf is not always as easy as he may sometimes believe.

"But suddenly, I began to feel fantastic. As I played the first half of the course, I hit some excellent drives and iron shots."

"I had many opportunities on the back nine and I felt like I missed a few as well. It was a good beginning, especially considering the rough start in the first six or seven holes."

McIlroy was in the lead by two shots with five holes left in the US Open, but he made mistakes on three of the last four holes. He missed putts from close distances on the 16th and final hole, ultimately finishing one shot behind Bryson DeChambeau.

"I won't let a few mistakes affect my opinion of my overall performance," the 35-year-old continued.

Not only did I perform well at the US Open, but I also had strong showings at the Canadian Open, Memorial, US PGA, and Quail Hollow. My skills have been on point, and they were still sharp when I arrived here.

"Simply put, all you have to do is stay focused on what needs to be done and avoid getting distracted. I believe I executed that well today."

McIlroy and his Ryder Cup buddy Tommy Fleetwood both were at five under par. Fleetwood was happy to have his longtime caddie, Ian Finnis, back after Finnis had open-heart surgery earlier in the year.

"It's a great feeling," Fleetwood expressed after a round with five birdies and no bogeys.

"It's a great feeling to start off the week with a successful round, especially for him. We worked well together and everything just clicked today. He made some excellent choices, it almost feels like he never left."