In-form McIlroy leads Irish charge at 'fiddly' Open

Rory McIlroy celebrated making a fantastic start to the "fiddliest" Open of his career as his delayed return to St Andrews proved well worth the wait. America's Cameron Young held the lead thanks to firing eight birdies in a flawless 64, a score only McIlroy himself has beaten in the opening round of an Open Championship on the Old Course. McIlroy's 63 came back in 2010 and was followed by an 80 in terrible weather, while an ankle injury suffered playing football prevented him from bidding to retain the Claret Jug at the same venue in 2015. The four-time major winner admitted this week therefore felt like the title defence he never had and he enjoyed an ideal start, holing from 55 feet for birdie on the first and making seven in total in his 66, the same score he shot to begin his wire-to-wire victory at Hoylake.

FULL LEADERBOARD In stark contrast, 15-time major winner Tiger Woods had covered his first nine holes in five over, making a double bogey on the first after hitting his approach - from a fairway divot - into the Swilcan Burn short of the green.

Woods, two-time winner around St Andrews in 2000 and 2005, couldn't retrieve the ground, eventually winding up with an opening round of 78, to leave himself with an extremely marginal chance to making the weekend. An opening 73 in April's Masters meant McIlroy had been a combined 35 over par in the first round of majors since last winning one in the 2014 US PGA, but since then he has started with a 65 in the US PGA, a 67 in the US Open and Thursday's 66. "Yeah, fantastic start," McIlroy said. "Just what you hope will happen when you're starting off your week. I did everything that you're supposed to do around St Andrews. "I birdied the holes I should have and I made pars at