Rory McIlroy pledged to take an aggressive approach after surprisingly finding himself in contention for a third US PGA title at Oak Hill.

Despite continuing to struggle off the tee, McIlroy carded a second round of 69 for a halfway total of level par to lie just five off the lead shared by Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland.

First round leader Bryson DeChambeau and fellow American Justin Suh were two shots off the lead, with England’s Callum Tarren – who only secured a place in the field on Friday – another stroke back after a superb 67.

Masters runner-up Brooks Koepka was alongside Tarren on two under thanks to a 66 which included four birdies in the last seven holes.

Justin Rose hit just two fairways but somehow conjured up a second round of 70 to lie one under, with McIlroy and former Open champion Shane Lowry on level par.

“I think with how terribly I’ve felt over the ball, the fact I am only five back… I’m not saying it could be up there with one of my best performances but when I holed that (birdie) putt on the last I thought I can’t believe I’m only five back.

“If I can get the ball in play off the tee I’ll have a shot and at this point I might just tee it high and bomb it everywhere. I may as well just swing it hard and go for it.”

Quote of the day

“I feel like I’ve got the game this week to compete, to tell you the truth”

Club professional Michael Block was not content simply to make the cut after two rounds of 70 left him five off the lead.

Shot of the day

Rory McIlroy was two over par for the day and perhaps starting to worry about making the cut when he holed from 45 feet for birdie on the ninth.

Round of the day

Brooks Koepka birdied five holes on the back nine, including the difficult 17th and 18th, to card a superb 66.

Statistic of the day

Rory McIlroy may not have won a major since 2014, but he continues to pile up some impressive numbers.

Easiest hole

The reachable par-four 14th played to an average of 3.878, with 41 players making birdie.

Hardest hole

The 503-yard sixth hole was comfortably the hardest, with just three players making birdie, 24 making a double bogey and three faring even worse to lead to an average of 4.750

Weather forecast

An approaching low-pressure system and associated cold front will bring a band of rain to the area early on Saturday morning through the early afternoon before tapering off for the rest of the afternoon. Drier conditions return by Saturday evening with partly cloudy skies and mild temperatures expected for Sunday.

Key tee times (all BST)

1840 Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry
1910 Justin Rose, Michael Block
1920 Callum Tarren, Taylor Pendrith
1930 Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau
1950 Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners

Rory McIlroy admitted he was tempted to throw caution to the wind after surprisingly finding himself in contention for a third US PGA title at Oak Hill.

Despite continuing to struggle off the tee, McIlroy carded a second round of 69 for a halfway total of level par to lie just five off the lead shared by Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland.

First round leader Bryson DeChambeau and fellow American Justin Suh were two shots off the lead, with England’s Callum Tarren – who only secured a place in the field on Friday after former champion Martin Kaymer withdrew – another stroke back after a superb 67.

Masters runner-up Brooks Koepka was alongside Tarren on two under thanks to a 66 which included four birdies in the last seven holes.

Justin Rose hit just two fairways but somehow conjured up a second round of 70 to lie one under, with McIlroy and former Open champion Shane Lowry on level par.

Lowry had stormed into contention with six birdies in the space of eight holes before dropping shots on the 17th and 18th in his 67.

McIlroy was among the later starters who took advantage of unexpectedly calm conditions and a course softened by several rain showers to cover his last 10 holes in three under par.

“I need to be patient the way I’m hitting it off the tee,” McIlroy said. “I stayed really patient and I think it was rewarded with a couple of breaks and birdies towards the end.

“I think with how terribly I’ve felt over the ball, the fact I am only five back… I’m not saying it could be up there with one of my best performances but when I holed that (birdie) putt on the last I thought I can’t believe I’m only five back.

“If I can get the ball in play off the tee I’ll have a shot and at this point I might just tee it high and bomb it everywhere. I may as well just swing it hard and go for it.”

World number one Jon Rahm shot 68 to make the halfway cut on four over par, but playing partner and US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick bogeyed the last two holes to miss out by a shot.

Club professional Michael Block had earlier insisted he could contend for an extraordinary victory after a second consecutive 70 saw him on the same score as McIlroy and Lowry.

Block, who is one of 20 PGA professionals in the field in Rochester and the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California, made the cut for the first time in seven majors, but was setting his sights considerably higher.

“I am having a great time,” Block, 46, said after a round containing four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the fifth, which was the result of a dreaded shank off the tee.

“I have no pressure, I have a job and a pay cheque waiting for me at my club. I don’t have to make putts to pay for my mortgage. This is a beautiful thing I have here.

“I feel like I’ve got the game this week to compete, to tell you the truth. I feel like I could shoot even par out here every day. I feel at the end of the four days that might be a pretty good result.”

Block has the words “Why not?” stamped on the balls he uses as a reminder not to doubt his abilities when the pressure is on, something which stems from holing a putt to qualify for the 2007 US Open.

And asked what the ultimate “why not?” would be, he added: “To win, by far. As weird as it sounds, I’m going to compete. I promise you that.”

Anhelina Kalinina is into the first WTA 1000 final of her career but the Ukrainian refused to shake the hand of Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova after a hard-fought match at the Italian Open.

Kalinina held her nerve after being taken to a decider to record a 7-5 5-7 6-2 victory in two hours and 51 minutes over the 11th seed and will next face Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the showpiece.

The 30th seed snubbed Kudermetova at the net in the latest example of a Ukrainian tennis player shunning post-match tradition towards a Russian because of the ongoing conflict between the countries.

“We didn’t shake hands because the girl is from Russia basically,” Kalinina said. “It’s no secret why I didn’t shake, because this country actually attacks Ukraine.

“This is sport, I understand, but it’s also kind of politician thing. It is nothing personal. But in general, yes, it’s not acceptable.”

Wimbledon champion Rybakina beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a rain-interrupted match, battling back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to win five games on the spin.

“I’m happy to win,” Rybakina said. “It was a really tough day overall with all the rain delays. I came without any expectation because I knew the other years were really tough for me playing here.

“I’m just happy that I got so many matches now before the French Open.”

Captain Kyle Steyn admitted Glasgow Warriors will take some time to recover from the disappointment of failure on two fronts after they were beaten 43-19 to Toulon in the final of the EPCR Challenge Cup at the Aviva Stadium.

The defeat in Dublin came on the back of bowing out of the BKT United Rugby Championship in the quarter-finals after they slipped up against Munster at their Scotstoun fortress.

Tom Jordan’s sending off proved costly as the Warriors surrendered a 17-match unbeaten run at home when the Irish province prevailed 14-5 earlier this month.

And in Dublin, Steyn scored two tries and Sebastian Cancelliere also crossed but the game was essentially lost in the first half when the Warriors went into the interval 21-0 in arrears.

Toulon scored three tries in each half and were always in control to win the Challenge Cup for the first time.

“It’s disappointing and a pretty tough one to process,” Steyn said.

“We weren’t where we needed to be in the first 20 minutes, but credit to Toulon – we were too soft.

“To come this far, and progress the way we have, and then to come unstuck in two play-off games will take some time to get over.

“We had enough belief that we could get this done. I thought there were lessons we could have learned against Munster that would have put us in a position to win this, but we didn’t react enough to them.

“I’m proud of the way the boys kept on fighting. We created chances, but in play-off rugby you have to take your chances.

“At the start of the season we said we wanted to play rugby in a way that inspired people to follow us and support us and with the number of people following us in Dublin it felt as though we had done that to some degree.”

Toulon’s victory earned them a ticket into next season’s Heineken Champions Cup – a competition they won three years in a row between 2013-2015.

Toulon director of rugby Franck Azema said: “We learned a lot last year when we lost in the Challenge Cup final for a fourth time. This must now be the start of something and the next job is to build on it.

“We were consistent and efficient and we scored quickly. We never switched off and it was nice to finish with that final try in the last few minutes.”

The game was the last in European competition for the 39-year-old Italian number eight Sergio Parisse, who scored Toulon’s second try.

“I knew I was going into one of my last games, but I tried to treat it as just another game. I really enjoyed it,” said Parisse.

“We tried to dominate physically, played well and dominated from the first minute. We showed from the start that we wanted to take control.

“I’m just happy to be playing with this group and to be finishing my career at Toulon. It was a long day, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Three second-half tries from Glasgow Warriors were not enough to stop Toulon making it fifth time lucky with a 43-19 victory in the EPCR Challenge Cup final at the Aviva Stadium.

After four final defeats, the French side hit Glasgow for six with three tries in each half as they eased to victory to give retiring Italian number eight Sergio Parisse a title-winning send off.

Toulon were quickly into their stride and looked confident from the off as they chased their first Challenge Cup title at the venue where they won their first Heineken Champions Cup crown in 2013.

They lost Wales fly-half Dan Biggar with a head injury after only four minutes, then saw Australian centre Duncan Paia’Aua  go off for another HIA in the 32nd minute.

They also lost influential scrum-half Baptiste Serin in the final move of the opening 40 minutes with a left knee injury that required a third change to their starting back division.

There was a fourth alteration at the start o the second half when Mathieu Bastareaud came on to replace wing Gabin Villiers, who also failed an HIA.

By then, though, Serin has sparked his side into life with two tries as they sped into a 21-0 interval lead.

Toulon quickly recovered from the loss of Biggar and two minutes later, with Ihaia West on to replace the Welshman, Serin produced a moment of magic to get the scoreboard moving.

After taking the ball from a ruck on the Glasgow 22 he dabbed the ball through the defensive line, regathered and just managed to touch down despite the efforts of Ollie Smith to turn him on his back over the line.

The scrum half added the extras and then picked out 39-year-old Italian legend Sergio Parisse for a try at the posts after more pressure from the Top 14 outfit after Glasgow had lost a line-out.

Serin added the extras and then picked up the third try after 25 minutes. Glasgow lost another line out on their 10-metre line and Toulon skipper Charles Ollivon drove on.

Fijian centre Waisea Vuidravuwalu carried on strongly and when he was brought down on the line, Serin picked up and dotted down before adding a third conversion.

Glasgow started the second half encouragingly, but their inability to turn pressure into points cost them dearly. It was not until their 11th incursion into the Toulon 22 that they managed to break their duck and that came via a try from skipper Kyle Steyn in the 55th minute from a neat moved down the blindside of a line-out.

Before then replacement scrum-half Benoit Paillaugue had added a penalty to extend the lead to 24 points. George Horne’s angled conversion of Steyn’s score gave Glasgow hope, but two more tries slammed the door shut as far as a comeback was concerned.

The Fijian duo of Jiuta Wainiqolo and Vuidravuwalu scored them and Paillaugue converted the latter to make it 36-7 with 16 minutes to go.

Glasgow earned some respectability with later tries from Sebastian Cancelliere and Steyn, but it was never going to be enough.

West scampered over for the final try with two minutes to go and Paillaugue kicked another conversion to complete the scoring.

Brian Graham struck a second-half double as Partick Thistle took a major step towards the cinch Premiership play-off final with a 3-0 first-leg victory over Ayr at Firhill.

Graham had other chances following Jack McMillan’s 16th-minute opener as a dominant Thistle continued their impressive form under Kris Doolan in front of a 7,012 crowd.

The Jags have now only lost once in 16 matches since their former striker succeeded Ian McCall and have netted 11 goals in the play-offs so far.

The 2,000 fans in the sold-out visiting section got a shock before kick-off when top goalscorer Dipo Akinyemi was missing from the team lists, apparently with a back injury.

The striker has played in every other game for Ayr this season and hit 24 goals.

Manager Lee Bullen brought in Mark McKenzie, whose fifth goal of the campaign sent Ayr into second place in the Championship in the final moments of the regular campaign at Inverness.

Ayr made a bright start and Chris Maguire saw his well-struck first-time effort from 25 yards acrobatically saved by David Mitchell.

Scott Tiffoney forced a decent stop from Charlie Albinson at the other end and Thistle got on top before taking the lead. Steven Lawless threaded a ball through for McMillan who had sneaked behind the home defence before rifling a shot through Charlie Albinson.

Thistle continued to dominate with their creative players producing some excellent touches, and they should have been further ahead by the break with Graham missing two open goals, although both times the ball flashed at him quickly.

The experienced striker volleyed the first chance wide from outside the box with Albinson stranded after coming out of his box to head a long ball up into the air. Graham then missed from close range following Aidan Fitzpatrick’s driven cross.

The striker, who hit his 50th Thistle goal in the quarter-finals, then saw a header drift wide.

Ayr rarely got forward in the first half following their early pressure but Josh Mullin had a couple of half-chances, heading over before having a shot blocked.

The Jags maintained their dominance after the interval. Fitzpatrick hit the bar from long range before Graham converted from close range in the 50th minute after Tiffoney had played the ball across the face of goal. There was a hint of offside but no flag came.

The hosts continued to create chances. Kyle Turner curled wide from 18 yards and Fitzpatrick blazed over from an excellent opportunity.

Ayr defender Frankie Musonda saw a header blocked in the goalmouth before Thistle patiently worked the ball forward on the break and extended their lead in the 72nd minute as Graham finished first time from six yards following Fitzpatrick’s curling delivery.

Ayr threatened to snatch a late lifeline. Mitchell got down well to make an excellent one-handed stop from Ben Dempsey before substitute Paul Smith hit the bar with a 20-yard free-kick. Thistle went straight up the park and Albinson pulled off a diving stop to prevent Danny Mullen making it 4-0 with the final kick.

Simona Halep has been charged with a second anti-doping violation over “irregularities in her athlete biological passport”.

The former world number one and Wimbledon champion has been provisionally suspended since October last year after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.

Last month Halep criticised the delay in her case, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday the Romanian had been charged with a “further and separate breach of the tennis anti-doping programme” after an independent assessment of her athlete biological passport.

Nicole Sapstead, senior director for anti-doping at the ITIA, said in a statement: “We understand this announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation.

“From the outset of this process – and indeed any other at the ITIA – we have remained committed to engaging with Ms Halep in an empathetic, efficient, and timely manner.

“We do, of course, appreciate there is a great deal of media interest in these cases.

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on specifics until the conclusion of the process, but we will continue to engage with the Sport Resolutions independent tribunal and Ms Halep’s representatives as expeditiously as possible.”

Justin Rose admitted his second round of 70 was not quite what it seemed as he remained in contention to double his major tally in the 105th US PGA Championship.

Rose shot level par on Friday to post a halfway total of one under par, despite hitting only two fairways in regulation at a fiendishly difficult Oak Hill.

“Smoke and mirrors I guess,” the former Olympic champion said with a smile when asked how he had pulled it off.

“I had a few fair lies in the rough, to be honest. When I did catch a bad lie I took my medicine and pitched out and tried to avoid the big number. I felt like making a bogey or two around here is no big deal.

“The fact that I made 10 birdies [in two rounds] is remarkable considering how I’ve put the ball in play off the tee.

“Iron play I felt was pretty good and obviously I have made some really nice mid-range putts. There’s definitely been some highlights in the game the last couple of days.

“Lots to look forward to and to have kind of going into the weekend, but kind of nice to know that I can maybe try and tighten a few things up as well.”

Rose won the 2013 US Open at Merion with a total of one over par and is relishing another tough challenge over the weekend.

“I think historically I’ve won typically on harder golf courses than not, so I think it fits my profile from that point of view,” he added.

“This is right up there. This feels a little bit of a hybrid kind of PGA/US Open this week. I’m looking forward to the test, I think.

“I thought four under par would be the winning score before the tournament started. It’s very hard to hit the ball in the fairway right now. The fairways are so firm that that’s what’s kind of making them so hard to hit.”

Jose Altuve will return to the Houston Astros’ lineup for Friday’s game against the Oakland Athletics after the team activated the 2017 American League Most Valuable Player from the injured list.

Altuve has yet to play this season due to a fractured right thumb he sustained while playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic on March 19. He underwent surgery on March 22 and was given an eight-week timeline to return.

The eight-time All-Star prepped for his 2023 debut by playing five minor league rehab games over the past week, though he went just 2 for 22 at the plate.

Altuve finished fifth in voting for last season’s AL MVP after finishing with a .300 average, 28 home runs, 103 runs scored and 18 stolen bases in 141 games for the World Series champion Astros.

The 33-year-old’s career .307 batting average ranks third among active players with at least 1,000 plate appearances, trailing only 2022 AL batting champ Luis Arraez and fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera.

Altuve will be counted on to provide a spark to a Houston offense that’s averaging just 4.44 runs per game, 15th in the majors. The Astros currently stand two games behind division-leading Texas in the AL West with a 24-19 record.

Steve Smith fell 11 runs short of a century in what might be his final innings for Sussex as he was upstaged by teenager James Coles in the LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Glamorgan at Hove.

In his valedictory match for Sussex before linking up with Australia for the World Test Championship final and the Ashes, Smith was on course for a ton until he was rapped on the back pad by James Harris.

Umpire Martin Saggers raised his finger as Glamorgan celebrated, with Smith seeming aggrieved having been potentially outside the line – the option of reviewing is not available in the championship.

Having turned his overnight 68 not out into 89, Sussex were firmly in the ascendancy and 19-year-old Coles’ 138, his maiden first-class hundred, plus a belligerent 73 in 64 balls from Fynn Hudson-Prentice lifted the hosts to 481 all out and a considerable 358-run first-innings lead in the Division Two game.

Glamorgan, skittled for 123 on the opening day, fared better second time around as they went to stumps on 118 for one although they sit 240 behind overnight and face a battle just to make Sussex bat again.

In Division One, leaders Surrey were grateful for lower-order half-centuries from Sean Abbott and Gus Atkinson (55) as they seized the upper hand against Kent at the Kia Oval.

Surrey stumbled to 180 for six in response to the visitors’ 278 but free-flowing innings from Abbott (78 off 88 balls) and Atkinson (55 off 44 balls) lifted them to 362 all out.

Kent then lost three wickets in in the last three overs of the second day to fall from 78 for one to 80 for four at stumps – still trailing Surrey by four runs at stumps.

Northamptonshire’s batting woes continued as they were shot out for 56 at Hampshire, with Keith Barker taking four for 13 and two wickets each for Mohammad Abbas and Ian Holland.

After being asked to follow-on, Northamptonshire, who have been rolled for 72 and 63 this season, closed on 50 for two to trail by 261 after Hampshire were all out for 367 in the morning at the Ageas Bowl.

Middlesex are in strife against Somerset at Lord’s after being bowled out for 175, with Matt Henry taking five for 45 and Lewis Gregory and Jack Leach collecting a couple of wickets apiece.

After being asked to follow-on, Middlesex ended the day on 81 for one to sit 148 behind. Somerset earlier converted their 325 for six into 404.

Matthew Montgomery capitalised on Ben Duckett’s absence with an unbeaten 130 to underpin Nottinghamshire’s 326 for five against Essex at Trent Bridge.

The efforts of Montgomery, in the side because Duckett has been rested ahead of the international summer, plus knocks of 57 from Ben Slater and Joe Clarke helped Nottinghamshire establish a 28-run lead.

In Division Two, a day after 22 wickets fell at New Road, Leicestershire’s 180 all out – where Joe Leach took five for 41 – set Worcestershire 271 for victory. They closed on 26 for two.

Durham slow left-armer Ajaz Patel claimed five for 93 to reduce Gloucestershire to 255 for nine in response to their opponents’ 445 at Bristol.

Alun Wyn Jones has called time on his illustrious international career after a world-record 170 caps.

With 158 appearances for Wales and 12 for the British and Irish Lions, Jones is 22 clear of any other player in rugby union history.

His influence extends far beyond sheer longevity and here, the PA news agency looks back at his record in the two famous red jerseys.

Wales

Jones made his international debut in 2006 at flanker, soon switching to lock where he quickly established himself as a mainstay of the team.

He won the Six Nations title five times, including three Grand Slams in 2008, 2012 and 2019, in the latter of which he captained the side and was named player of the championship.

His other titles came in 2013 and 2021 and his 66 appearances rank second in Six Nations history to former Italy captain Sergio Parisse, after Jones passed Brian O’Driscoll’s 65 games for Ireland during this season’s tournament.

He reached a century of Wales caps against New Zealand in 2016 and overtook prop Gethin Jenkins’ record of 129 when he appeared against Australia at the 2019 World Cup.

He went on to overhaul former New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw’s 148 record international appearances in October 2020 against France, with his 150th cap coming against Italy in March 2022 and his 158th and last against France this year.

He captained Wales on 48 occasions, one short of predecessor Sam Warburton’s record.

Jones scored nine international tries, the last remarkably coming back in 2016 against New Zealand in Wellington. He received only four yellow cards and no reds in his 158 games.

Jones’ retirement leaves New Zealand lock Sam Whitelock as the most-capped active international with 143 appearances, well clear of Australia’s James Slipper with 127.

British and Irish Lions

Jones first toured with the Lions in 2009, starting one Test against South Africa and featuring as a replacement in the other two.

He was ever-present again in 2013, deputising as captain for the injured Warburton in the series-clinching third Test against Australia, and in 2017 to become the first player in the professional era to play in nine consecutive Lions Tests.

He astonishingly was able to extend that record to 12 in 2021 as he recovered from a dislocated shoulder in the warm-up game against Japan to captain the tourists in all three Tests against the Springboks.

His dozen appearances match prop Graham Price as Wales’ most-capped Lion while only former Ireland lock Willie John McBride (17) and England scrum-half Dickie Jeeps (13) have won more Lions caps overall.

Jones, McBride and former Ireland centres O’Driscoll and Mike Gibson are the only players to have been selected for four or more Lions tours.

Including non-cap tour matches, Jones appeared 24 times for the Lions and scored two tries, both as a replacement against a Royal XV in 2009 and the Barbarians four years later.

Club professional Michael Block insisted he could contend for an extraordinary victory in the US PGA Championship as Oak Hill continued to provide a stiff test for the world’s best players.

Block, who is one of 20 PGA professionals in the field in Rochester and the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California, carded a second consecutive 70 for a halfway total of level par.

And that was just one behind early clubhouse leader and playing partner Taylor Pendrith, the Canadian adding a 69 to his opening 70 for a one-under-par total later matched by England’s Justin Rose.

“I am having a great time,” Block, 46, said after a round containing four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the fifth, which was the result of a dreaded shank off the tee.

“I have no pressure, I have a job and a pay cheque waiting for me at my club. I don’t have to make putts to pay for my mortgage. This is a beautiful thing I have here. I’m a very lucky guy and I’m looking forward to playing on Saturday and Sunday.

“I feel like I’ve got the game this week to compete, to tell you the truth. I’ve made the cut, which is obviously a huge goal.

“I feel like I could shoot even par out here every day. I feel at the end of the four days that that might be a pretty good result.

“I’m extremely comfortable. To be honest, a couple of my friends in Orange County are Beau Hossler and Patrick Cantlay. I’ve played a lot of golf with them now where they’ve become my friends.

“I understand where they’re ranked in the world (131st and fourth respectively). I understand how my game doesn’t quite get up to them, but I’m pretty darn close, and I can compete with them.

“Why not come here and compete? Why not here at Oak Hill, make the cut? I’m not afraid of them any more, to be honest.”

Block even has the words “Why not?” stamped on the balls he uses as a reminder not to doubt his abilities when the pressure is on, something which stems from holing a putt to qualify for the 2007 US Open.

Asked what the ultimate “why not?” would be, he added: “To win, by far. As weird as it sounds, I’m going to compete. I promise you that.”

Block looked set to face some stiff opposition in his bid for an unlikely victory however, world number two Scottie Scheffler starting his second round with birdies on the first and second to move top of the leaderboard on five under.

Scheffler has won twice and finished no worse than 12th this season to trail world number one Jon Rahm by just 0.5 points at the top of the standings.

First-round leader Bryson DeChambeau, who carded an opening 66, was in the penultimate group on Friday, teeing off at 1431 local time.

Rose joined DeChambeau on four under when he covered his first seven holes of round two in three under par, but struggled off the tee and played the remainder in three over.

Rahm was among the players who faced an uphill battle to make the halfway cut.

Seeking back-to-back major titles following his Masters triumph at Augusta National last month, Rahm birdied his opening hole in the first round before slumping to a six-over-par 76.

US Open champion and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick failed to make a single birdie as he recorded the same score, but Rory McIlroy had fought back from three over par after nine holes to post a 71 despite struggling with an unspecified illness.