Cameron Young takes early lead at British Open, Rory McIlroy in 2nd

The 25-year-old has yet to win as a professional, but he has five top-three finishes on the season

PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young shot a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 Thursday to establish the early lead at The Open Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland polished off a 6-under 66 to take sole possession of second at the midway point of the first round. Australia’s Cameron Smith (5-under 67) was three strokes back.

A group at 4-under 68 included English amateur Barclay Brown, fellow Englishman Lee Westwood, Kurt Kitayama, Australia’s Brad Kennedy and Norway’s Viktor Hovland. Paul Casey of England was 4 under through eight holes.

Seven of Young’s eight birdies came over the first 12 holes. One of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, Young drove over the green at the short par-4 ninth, 12th and 18th holes, getting up and down for birdie each time.

In Young’s debut at The Open, he came up one shot shy of tying the lowest first-round score in championship history. The 25-year-old has yet to win as a professional, but he has five top-three finishes on the season, including a tie for third at the PGA Championship in May.

“I think we picked tee shots that were smart, and that kind of kept a lot of the bunkers out of play,” Young said on the television broadcast. “And then made a few putts early, which kind of set the tone for the day. All those things just added up to not feeling too hard out there, even though I know it could be impossible for me tomorrow.”

McIlroy, the four-time major winner and No. 2 player in the world, made three straight birdies at the fifth through seventh holes. He rebounded from his lone bogey at No. 13 with a birdie at the par-5 14th. At the 18th, he left an 84-foot eagle putt inches to the right of the cup for his final birdie.