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Rory McIlroy took encouragement from his fighting finish after recording a level-par first-round 71 at the Open on Thursday.
The Northern Irishman endured a frustrating start to his latest quest to reclaim the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool with a mixed round featuring three birdies and three bogeys.
It might even have been worse after he found a greenside bunker at the par-five 18th and needed two shots to escape the sand trap.
Yet he held his nerve to save par from 10 feet and keep himself within five strokes of joint-leaders Tommy Fleetwood, Emiliano Grillo and Christo Lamprecht.
“You are just hoping to make par somehow and get out of there,” said McIlroy of the final hole.
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“I got lucky because that ball could have gone into a deeper part of my footprints and I could have been there all night. It was a really good par in the end.
“I was probably hoping for a bit more at the start of the day but, overall, two over through 12 – to get it back to even for the day, I’m pretty pleased with that.
“I could have let that round get away from me but I didn’t with the two birdies on the back nine.”
McIlroy, who is bidding to end a nine-year major drought this week, believes he has given himself a platform to build on in the coming days.
It wasn’t easy but I am still right in there.
The 34-year-old, champion last time the Open was held at Hoylake in 2014, said: “I didn’t really get it going on the front nine. I missed a few putts.
“A few putts started to go in on the back nine, which is nice to see. Hopefully I’ve got my eye in now and I can build on that over the next three days.
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“I needed to stay patient out there. It wasn’t easy but I am still right in there.
“I need to shoot something in the 60s tomorrow and I will be right there for the weekend.”
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