Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood cannot believe how close Justin Thomas was to a birdie on the third hole on the second day of The Open.

Golf fans will never (ever) be able to hit a golf ball like Rory McIlroy, but they can at least try to practice chipping like the five-time major champ this week. Well, the way he practiced long (long) before he was ever even a one-time major champ.

McIlroy didn't play his best Thursday at Royal Portrush but shot 1-under 70 and is three shots off the 18-hole lead.

Six years after recording a quadruple-bogey 8 on No. 1 at Royal Portrush, Rory McIlroy carded a bogey-5 en route to a 1-under 70 that left him right in the mix at the Open. "I didn't feel like I was walking into the unknown this time around,

Those anxious souls in the grandstands, gazing on their hero below, inched forward in their seats—an almost imperceptible lean, telegraphing their anxieties. They held a collective breath as the club drew back,

Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.