Open Championship: Rory McIlroy loses ball to train tracks as he and Bryson DeChambeau are derailed by grueling starts

It was only last month that Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau were dueling for the US Open in the North Carolina sun. Yet, as the duo lumbered around a damp and windy Royal Troon on Thursday, that high-octane shootout might as well have taken place a lifetime ago.

It was only last month that Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau were dueling for the US Open in the North Carolina sun. Yet, as the duo lumbered around a damp and windy Royal Troon on Thursday, that high-octane shootout might as well have taken place a lifetime ago. Reigning US Open champion DeChambeau and runner-up McIlroy slogged to slow starts at the 152nd Open Championship in Scotland, carding opening rounds of five-over 76 and 78 respectively to plummet away from the early leaders. Out to exorcise the demons of yet another heartbreaking major near-miss at Pinehurst No. 2, Northern Ireland’s McIlroy was even-par through his first seven holes before his day began to unravel at the iconic “Postage Stamp” eighth. The world No. 2 winced in agony as his ball – which looked to have settled on the green of the 118-yard par-three – cruelly trickled into a nearby bunker. It took McIlroy two attempts to escape the sand, his exasperation compounded when his putt for bogey trickled inches past the cup. That double bogey was followed up by yet another at the par-four 11th, kickstarted by an out of bounds drive that sailed onto the train tracks running down the right side of the fairway. Forced to take a drop from the tee, McIlroy tapped in for six before more bunker trouble saw him add two more bogeys at the 15th and final holes.