Paul Wellens has urged his all-conquering St Helens squad to draw on the memory of recent heartbreaks if they wish to avoid adding an unwanted chapter to Challenge Cup history when they face Leigh in Saturday’s first semi-final.

Wellens’ men might have amassed a glittering pile of silverware but remarkably they will barely start favourites against Adrian Lam’s side, who only last season were celebrating lifting the 1895 Cup for second and third-tier sides at Wembley.

A revolution led by owner Derek Beaumont has catapulted the club to second place in their first season back in Super League – four points and two places above Saints – and within 80 minutes of a first Challenge Cup final appearance since they sunk Leeds at Wembley in 1971.

With the sport’s established order increasingly being stood on its head, it is perhaps no surprise that Wellens wants his players to forget their recent prize haul and focus on rare setbacks, such as their stunning semi-final defeat to Catalans Dragons in 2018.

Seven members of Saints’ current squad were involved in that game, which the French side won after blazing into a 27-0 half-time lead, and Wellens stressed: “A lot of of our group have won big matches but they have experienced a fair bit of heartbreak as well.

“Losing in the Cup semi-final to Catalans was an experience they have learned from, and has shaped them in terms of the way they approach big games. Sometimes out of those negative experiences, you can draw a lot of positives.”

Saints, who head into the game on the back of a gruelling Super League defeat to the French side which robbed them of influential duo James Roby and Mark Percival due to failed head injury assessments, certainly hold no fear for Lam’s buoyant side.

Lam’s men hit back from a 12-point half-time deficit to sink Saints 20-12 in their previous meeting in March, and have since forged a remarkable run of 12 wins in 13 games which has seemingly cemented their improbable place in the end-of-season play-offs.

For the Leigh-born former Saints hero Tommy Martyn, Lam and Beaumont have breathed new life into a club and a town for so long considered a “laughing stock” in rugby league circles for their inability to hold down a regular top-flight place.

Martyn, who played in Saints’ victorious 1996 and 1997 Challenge Cup final wins and also won Grand Finals and the World Club Challenge before ending his career with his home-town club, told the PA news agency: “It is the only thing anyone in Leigh is talking about.

“When I was growing up it was a golden era, winning the First Division title in 1982, and the town was booming then like it’s booming now. For so long the club was seen as a laughing stock. What Derek and Adrian have achieved is remarkable.”

Leigh’s stunning rise has been built on solid foundations, from a front row featuring stand-out prop John Asiata and mercurial hooker Edwin Ipape, to the flair in their three-quarters including the current joint-top Super League try-scorer, Josh Charnley.

But in a warning to Saints and the other clubs whom they must still face in their unlikely quest for silverware this season, Lam believes his side are still searching for their best.

“We pride ourselves on our identity but there are also one or two more levels we can keep improving on, and everyone agrees about that, so that’s the exciting part,” said Lam.

“We know the challenge ahead of us, we know it’s a massive mountain to climb, but the way this season has been rolling, if we can turn up and give our absolute best and be that same consistent side, I know we will give ourselves a chance.”

Tournament officials have changed the way the bunkers are raked for the 151st Open Championship following complaints from players that they were overly “penal”.

Masters champion Jon Rahm described Royal Liverpool’s 82 bunkers as “proper penalty structures” after having to play backwards out of one during his opening 74, while Rory McIlroy needed two shots to escape a greenside trap on the 18th.

In response, the R&A instructed greenkeeping staff to build up the edges of the bunkers to allow more balls to roll back into the centre.

“Yesterday afternoon the bunkers dried out more than we have seen in recent weeks and that led to more balls running straight up against the face than we would normally expect,” the R&A said in a statement.

“We have therefore raked all of the bunkers slightly differently to take the sand up one revet on the face of the bunkers.

“We routinely rake bunkers flat at most Open venues but decided this adjustment was appropriate in light of the drier conditions which arose yesterday.

“We will continue to monitor this closely for the remainder of the Championship.”

Even those players who managed to successfully escape from the bunkers on day one had expressed their concerns, with former champion Stewart Cink speaking out following a bogey-free 68.

“Eventually it’ll catch up with you,” the 2009 winner said. “The bottoms of them are so flat that if a ball comes in with any momentum, it’s just going right up to the lip and stop.

“There’s not a little upslope that helps you at all. They are very penal.”

American Brian Harman was having no issues with any bunkers as he carded four birdies in succession to surge clear at the top of the leaderboard.

Harman holed from 20 feet on the second and similar distances on the third and fourth before hitting the pin with his chip to the par-five fifth to set up a simple tap-in.

At eight under par the left-hander led by three shots from Tommy Fleetwood and South African amateur Christo Lamprecht, with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo falling out of an overnight share of the lead following a double bogey on the second.

McIlroy began his second round in ideal fashion with a birdie on the first to improve to one under.

Sean Woods could step Savvy Victory up in class for next week’s Sky Bet York Stakes.

The four-year-old came from last to first under Tom Marquand to take the Listed Gala Stakes at Sandown earlier this month and may now test the water at Group Two level in the feature event on the final day of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival.

Savvy Victory’s clear-cut Sandown success was just compensation for a luckless run at Royal Ascot when badly hampered at a crucial stage in the Hampton Court.

Woods is now scouring the programme book after his charge was hiked 6lb in the weights, with an appearance on the Knavesmire at the forefront of the Newmarket handler’s mind.

He said: “He has taken his run at Sandown very well and is back cantering. We are just waiting to see what options we have. We don’t have many options being rated 111 now.

“So, he will have an entry at York and will have an entry at Haydock (Betfred Rose Of Lancaster Stakes, August 12). Depending on the ground and opposition, we will make out minds up after that.”

Woods added: “We’ll put him in the York Stakes over 10 furlongs, but that ground can be a bit iffy sometimes.

“He likes cut in the ground and the weather is messing up everything at the moment. I had 11 entries for Saturday and I run one!

“If either one isn’t good, there is a Group Three at Windsor (Winter Hill Stakes, August 26), but he will be stepped up, rather than running again in a Listed race. He will be stepped up to a Group Two or Group Three.

“It’s a nice problem to have, so I’m happy.”

Claire Williams said selling the family’s Formula One team is a grief that has been difficult to come to terms with, admitting it has felt like someone cut her heart out and never gave it back.

Claire, 47, has been an F1 outsider for coming up to three years following the sale of the team founded by her father Sir Frank Williams to American investment firm Dorilton Capital for £136million.

She resigned as de facto boss at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, while Frank – who extraordinarily took his motor racing team from an empty carpet warehouse to the summit of the sport – died a year later.

“When I left in Monza it felt like someone cut my heart out and it has never been returned,” said Claire, in an interview with the PA news agency ahead of Williams’ 800th race at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

“You just have to find something to put in its place. But it was very difficult then and three years on, it is still really hard.

“It is just one of those griefs that is really difficult to get over, or to come to terms with. Now we have lost Dad, it sometimes feels as though it was just a dream. Did that period in our lives really happen?”

Sir Frank oversaw 114 victories, 16 drivers’ and constructors’ world championships and became the longest-serving team boss in the sport’s history.

His story is made all the more remarkable by a horrific car crash which left him with injuries so devastating doctors considered turning off his life-support machine.

Until his death in 2021, he was recognised as the world’s oldest surviving tetraplegic.

Frank, who lived at the team headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire, handed over the managerial baton to daughter Claire in 2013.

She guided the team to a brilliant third in the constructors’ championship, behind the financial muscle of Mercedes and Ferrari over the following two years, before a lack of major investment contributed to Williams’ decline. A decade has passed since a Williams driver last won a race.

“There was so much that went on in those last few years, which to this day I will never be able to talk about,” continues Claire.

“But I saw the team through three very difficult seasons and I was able to hand over something that was still living and still breathing to someone with deeper pockets than us. We kept everyone in jobs, we didn’t go into administration and I am very proud of that.

“When I have challenging circumstances I bury my head in jobs and when we sold Williams, my next concern was, where did Dad go?

“As much as Dorilton were kind enough to say he could always live at the factory, I needed him close to me. And coincidentally the house next door to us came up for sale, so we moved Dad in.

“I managed his care team. I made sure he was happy and comfortable in his new home and we went off and did some nice stuff together. He would pick up my little one, Nate, from nursery.

“But then he got sicker, greater care was required to look after him and he passed away. But for the next six months, we organised this wonderful memorial service. We then decided to move house, renovating our old house in Ascot and our new home in South Downs.

“So, I am the master of distraction. Life carries on. And as much as I miss Williams, and I miss Formula One dreadfully, there is a whole other world out there. You have to go and find happy elsewhere. That is what I have done.”

However, Claire discovered her zen state is disrupted by watching the sport she loves.

She will not tune in on Sunday to see Alex Albon and rookie Logan Sargeant scramble for a point or two under the tutelage of new team principal James Vowles – an appointment Claire said her father would have approved of – in Williams’ landmark race.

“I turned on the TV to see Alex had scored a point in Australia earlier this year,” she continued with a broad smile.

“Ted’s Notebook was on and Ted [Kravitz] grabbed James and said, ‘mate, congratulations, you are only Williams’ third team principal and you have got a point. How does it feel?’

“And I was like, third team principal? That is Frank, that is Jost [Capito] and that is James, what about me? Ted has just cancelled me on national television!

“I may not have been called team principal but I operated that way and I have literally just been erased. I turned it straight off and vowed never to watch again.

“But I tried watching the last race at Silverstone. I thought to myself, ‘Right, I am going to do this. Come on’. But I watched the formation lap and that was that. I lasted five minutes.

“I don’t know what it is, but if you talk to any person who has worked, lived and breathed Formula One – no matter if that is for 20 years or 20 minutes – it does something to you. It absorbs you, and when you leave, particularly involuntary like I did, it is very difficult to watch it and not feel that loss.”

Claire dovetails speaking engagements and “top-secret television projects” with her role as brand ambassador for Williams Advanced Engineering.

Earlier this year, she launched the Frank Williams Academy in her father’s honour. The project aims to raise £1.5m to help educate and train those affected by spinal cord injuries. She also revealed Sky offered her the chance to return to the F1 paddock as a pundit.

“It was too soon,” said Claire. “It is better when you leave, you leave.

“Unless someone said to me, ‘Come back and be a team principal and you can have Williams back’, I don’t necessarily think there is a job I would want, but never say never.”

Natalie Grinczer has taken a difficult road to get to the start line of her second Tour de France Femmes.

At the start of this month the 29-year-old Brit was worried she would not see out the season after French team Stade Rochelais ran into financial problems and she was left scrambling for a new employer.

Trying to find a contract during one of the busiest periods of the season was far from easy. Grinczer struggled to get answers while teams were focused on the Giro Donne, the Italian Grand Tour, but she has landed on her feet by signing for Lifeplus-Wahoo for the rest of 2023.

And just days after her deal was announced, Grinczer was named in the British team’s seven-strong Tour de France Femmes line-up.

“If you’d asked me two or three weeks ago about the Tour I would have told you no,” Grinczer told the PA news agency. “Having no team and all the stress that comes with that, and now I’m in the Tour…one day I’ll write a book about it.”

Grinczer started the season well, feeling settled in her second year with Stade Rochelais and earning top-10 finishes at the Vuelta Extremadura Feminas, the Grand Prix Feminin de Chambery and the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar.

But by the time she finished sixth at the British national road race in Saltburn at the end of June, Grinczer was talking to Lifeplus-Wahoo boss Tom Varney about an answer to her problems.

“There was maybe a week and a half of uncertainty where I was putting myself out there, talking to people I knew from previous years and asking if they had any spaces,” she said. “I couldn’t even think about 2024 because my immediate problem was not having any races now.

“I started speaking to Tom after the nationals and he came back to me to say they had a space for the rest of the season so I was really lucky with how it panned out.”

Grinczer balances her career on the bike with her job as an NHS physiotherapist. After doing her last shift on Tuesday, she headed to Clermont-Ferrand on Thursday to prepare for the opening stage of the Tour on Sunday.

Grinczer started the inaugural edition of the revamped race in Stade Rochelais colours 12 months ago, getting a taste for what instantly became the biggest race on the calendar, but it sadly proved short-lived as she crashed out on stage three.

“Everyone came to the Tour in the best shape, with the best equipment and a lot of new kit and everyone went all out for it,” Grinczer said. “On the first day we signed on in front of the Eiffel Tower and went through the famous tunnel on to the Champs-Elysees and it was really cool.

“Unfortunately I crashed along with about 100 other people – I don’t know who didn’t crash in that peloton. It was frustrating. I’ve never been in a race where there seemed to be no etiquette.

“Normally there is a little bit of etiquette in the peloton but everyone was taking increased risks and it was a hostile place to be. Maybe after a couple of days it would have settled down into more of a rhythm but I didn’t experience that. Hopefully this time I’ll get a bit further and find out.”

Grinczer puts that hostility down to the huge importance of the race, which attracts a spotlight unlike any other, and she is prepared for the same again this time.

“It’s a bit of an all or nothing race for the riders,” she said. “You want to do the best you can and if that involves taking risks or riding differently to normal then you do that.”

:: Lifeplus-Wahoo are offering 10,000 UK-based fans free GCN+ passes to watch the Tour de France Femmes, available on a first-come, first-served basis from lifepluswahoo.com/embraceeverymoment.

Overcast conditions greeted the early starters as day two of the 151st Open Championship got under way at Royal Liverpool.

Home favourite Tommy Fleetwood shared the overnight lead on five under par with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo and South African amateur Christo Lamprecht, but was not due out in round two until shortly before 3pm.

Rory McIlroy was set to resume his bid for an overdue fifth major title just before 10am, the 2014 winner at Hoylake having made what could prove a crucial par save on the 18th on Thursday evening.

Fifty of the last 52 Open champions have been within five shots of the lead after round one and McIlroy holed from 10 feet on the last – having needed two shots to escape from a bunker – to return a level-par 71.

“It was a really good par in the end,” McIlroy said. “I got lucky because that ball could have gone into a deeper part of my footprints and I could have been there all night.

“I could have let that round get away from me, but I didn’t with the two birdies on the back nine. I need to shoot something in the 60s [on Friday] and I will be right there for the weekend.”

Fleetwood had earlier ridden a wave of home support to the top of the leaderboard in what will be an emotional week, with Friday marking the first anniversary of the death of his mother Sue.

“It really was a great day,” the 32-year-old from Southport said. “To get that support all day was amazing.

“If you’re not going to enjoy this atmosphere and these experiences then what’s the point? Make sure you have the time of your life out there.”

Spain’s Adrian Otaegui was the first contender back out on the course on Friday and scrambled a par on the opening hole to remain one off the pace.

The Baltimore Orioles edged the slumping Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in 10 innings on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between the American League’s top teams.

Rookie Colton Cowser delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th and Felix Bautista pitched two hitless innings with three strikeouts, getting a game-ending double play as Baltimore won for the 10th time in 12 games.

Baltimore, which started July 6 ½ games back in the AL East, now has a one-game lead.

Orioles second baseman Ramon Urias kept the game tied at 3 in the eighth when he made a diving stop on pinch-hitter Harold Ramirez’s sharp grounder with two on and two outs.

Adley Rutschman singled home a run and later scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s sacrifice fly during a three-run fourth against Tyler Glasnow, who struck out nine in seven innings.

The Rays dropped to 3-12 in July, tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the majors’ worst record.

Kyle Gibson allowed three runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts over six-plus innings.

Braves rally past Diamondbacks to end four-game skid 

Austin Riley delivered a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Atlanta Braves halted a four-game losing streak by rallying for a 7-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Matt Olson added two home runs to add to his National League-leading total and also had three RBIs to help Atlanta prevent the Diamondbacks from sweeping the three-game series. 

With the Braves down 5-3 in the eighth, Michael Harris doubled off reliever Miguel Castro and Ozzie Albies drew a two-out walk to set up Riley’s blast – his third straight game with a home run. 

Olson followed with his 32nd homer of the season to extend the lead to 7-5, and Raisel Iglesias worked a scoreless ninth to record his 17th save. 

Dominic Canzone’s first major league homer – a three-run blast off Braves All-Star Spencer Strider in the seventh – erased a 1-0 Arizona deficit, and Emmanuel Rivera followed with a solo shot that put the Diamondbacks up 4-1 until Olson’s two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.  

Strider recorded 13 strikeouts while allowing four runs in six-plus innings, while All-Star counterpart Zac Gallen yielded three runs on five hits over seven innings.  

Cardinals beat Cubs for 6th straight win

Jordan Walker and Paul DeJong each hit a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs 7-2 for their sixth consecutive win.

Tyler O’Neill opened the fourth inning with a double against Marcus Stroman and Walker followed with his ninth home run to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead. After Lars Nootbaar and Paul Goldschmidt singled, Nolan Arenado doubled both home one out later.

Steven Matz limited Chicago to one run and three hits over five innings while striking out six.

Yan Gomes had two triples and a single for three of the Cubs’ six hits.

Rory McIlroy had a clear target in mind as he looked to boost his bid for a second Open Championship victory at Royal Liverpool on Friday.

McIlroy recovered from a slow start to card an opening level-par 71 to trail Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood, Emiliano Grillo and South African amateur Christo Lamprecht by five shots after day one.

The world number two, who lifted the Claret Jug at Hoylake in 2014, was two over par after 13 holes before making birdies on the 14th and 15th and a crucial par on the 18th after needing two shots to escape a greenside bunker.

“It was a really good par in the end,” McIlroy said. “I got lucky because that ball could have gone into a deeper part of my footprints and I could have been there all night.

“I could have let that round get away from me, but I didn’t with the two birdies on the back nine. I need to shoot something in the 60s and I will be right there for the weekend.”

Fleetwood had earlier ridden a wave of home support as he carded six birdies and a bogey in a five-under-par 66.

“It really was a great day,” the 32-year-old from Southport said. “To get that support all day was amazing. If you’re not going to enjoy this atmosphere and these experiences then what’s the point? Make sure you have the time of your life out there.”

Austria’s Sepp Straka plays mainly on the PGA Tour but showed he has the imagination to thrive on links courses with a deft chip on the 18th.

Three players shot 66, but the nod goes to 22-year-old amateur Lamprecht for an impressive performance on his Open debut.

As one of his sponsors is an American airline, Stewart Cink had to be diplomatic about his travel woes on the way to Hoylake.

The par-five fifth played fractionally easier than the 15th, giving up two eagles and 72 birdies for a scoring average of 4.673.

The 507-yard 10th hole is a par five for the members but a par four for the Open and played predictably difficult, yielding just 13 birdies and playing to an average of 4.346.

Turning cloudy with a chance of showers on Friday morning. Drier and brighter by the afternoon. Becoming breezy with wind gusting up to 24mph.

0635 Rasmus Hojgaard, Matthew Southgate, Alex Fitzpatrick
0958 Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose
1253 Louis Oosthuizen, Joost Luiten, Christo Lamprecht
1404 Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jason Day
1448 Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott

Outgoing Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder has agreed to pay the NFL $60 million following an independent investigation into allegations of workplace and financial improprieties, the league announced Thursday.

The investigation, led by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White, found that Snyder sexually harassed a former team employee and withheld around $11 million in revenue from other owners by deliberately omitting ticket sales revenue on reports sent to the league.

The NFL released the findings of the year-long investigation shortly after the owners unanimously approved Snyder's agreement to sell the Commanders to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, the highest purchase price ever for a North American professional sports franchise.

The investigation was prompted by testimony given by Tiffani Johnston, a former cheerleader and marketing employee, to a Congressional hearing looking into allegations of workplace misconduct within the organisation in February 2022.

Johnston stated that Snyder placed his hand on her thigh during a work-related dinner and pushed her towards his limousine after the function in an unsuccessful attempt to have her ride with him.

White's investigative team conducted several interviews with Johnston on the matter and found her to be "highly credible," and her account of the events was corroborated by other witnesses, according to the report.

“The conduct substantiated in Ms. White’s findings has no place in the NFL," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "We strive for workplaces that are safe, respectful and professional. What Ms. Johnston experienced is inappropriate and contrary to the NFL’s values."

Another former employee, Jason Friedman, testified that the team knowingly withheld ticket revenue that was to be shared with other teams according to NFL bylaws. Friedman also said the Commanders retained security deposits from customers purchasing leases for stadium suites for more than a decade.

The report said it was unable to determine the exact amount of money withheld due to Snyder and the Commanders not fully cooperating with the investigation.

Harris' group, which includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, agreed to purchase the Commanders for the record sum in May pending owners' approval, which was granted in a special meeting held Thursday in Minnesota. In addition to the 76ers, Harris' holding company is also the majority owner of the NHL's New Jersey Devils.

Snyder purchased the then-Washington Redskins in 1999 for $800 million and had a tumultuous reign of more than two decades. He and his wife, Tanya, agreed to put the franchise up for sale in November amid pressure from the NFL and corporate sponsors. 

Joe Cullen produced a 142 checkout against Daryl Gurney on his way to becoming the first player through to the Betfred World Matchplay semi-finals on Thursday night.

Former Masters champion Cullen beat Gurney 16-11 in the best of 31 legs to secure a maiden appearance in the last four at the Winter Gardens.

Cullen, who edged out Gerwyn Price in a second-round thriller, averaged 97.11 and threw eight 180s on his way to victory.

After Cullen raced into a 5-0 lead, Gurney started to fight back and a 132 checkout reduced the deficit to 8-5, but Cullen responded to take out 142.

Two 13-dart finishes later in the match ensured it was Cullen who was victorious and he will face Nathan Aspinall in Blackpool on Saturday for a place in the final.

“It feels great, but I am the same as the other six players left. I feel like I can win the tournament, but it is showing it on the day,” Cullen told Betfred.

“I feel like I am good enough, as are the other players left, but it is all about showing it on the day.

“You could be rubbish the whole year, but if you find a good week here, you can write your name into history and that is what I am trying to do.”

Aspinall ended the fine run of housemate Chris Dobey with a 16-12 win in the second match on day six of the tournament.

Dobey made a brilliant start and, after leading 3-2 at the end of the first interval, a 140 checkout helped him establish a 6-3 advantage.

That became 7-5 before world number nine Aspinall showed his pedigree by winning three legs on the spin.

Aspinall took out 92 to move 10-8 ahead and, despite a couple of nervy throws in the final leg, the Stockport right-hander checked out 25 to secure his own first semi-final appearance at the World Matchplay.

Their last-four showdown will be the sixth meeting between Cullen and Aspinall, with the latter winning 10-2 in their last encounter in the UK Open in March.

Ireland full-back Jimmy O’Brien insists that Johnny Sexton’s three-match ban will not affect the team ahead of their preparations for the World Cup.

Sexton was handed the suspension for misconduct after becoming involved in what appeared to be a heated exchange with match officials towards the end of Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle.

The ban means that the 38-year-old fly-half will miss Ireland’s three warm-up fixtures, but he will be available for their opening World Cup match against Romania in Bordeaux.

O’Brien told BBC Sport: “It is what it is.

“We’ll just keep going, and other lads will get a chance [to play in the warm-up games]. He’ll be back for the World Cup, and it hasn’t really affected us much.”

Ireland are set to get their World Cup preparations under way with warm-ups against Italy, England and Samoa in August.

The tournament then begins in France in September with Ireland drawn in Pool B alongside Romania, Scotland, Tonga and current holders South Africa.

O’Brien has earned five caps for Ireland and is hoping to make the most of the opportunities provided in August’s warm-up matches.

“Hopefully I get a chance to play in a few of them,” the Leinster back added.

“There are so many good players I’m sure everyone will be the same and they’ll all get a chance. Whenever I play, hopefully I play well and put my hand up.”

Rory McIlroy took encouragement from his fighting finish after recording a level-par first-round 71 at the Open on Thursday.

The Northern Irishman endured a frustrating start to his latest quest to reclaim the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool with a mixed round featuring three birdies and three bogeys.

It might even have been worse after he found a greenside bunker at the par-five 18th and needed two shots to escape the sand trap.

Yet he held his nerve to save par from 10 feet and keep himself within five strokes of joint-leaders Tommy Fleetwood, Emiliano Grillo and Christo Lamprecht.

“You are just hoping to make par somehow and get out of there,” said McIlroy of the final hole.

“I got lucky because that ball could have gone into a deeper part of my footprints and I could have been there all night. It was a really good par in the end.

“I was probably hoping for a bit more at the start of the day but, overall, two over through 12 – to get it back to even for the day, I’m pretty pleased with that.

“I could have let that round get away from me but I didn’t with the two birdies on the back nine.”

McIlroy, who is bidding to end a nine-year major drought this week, believes he has given himself a platform to build on in the coming days.

The 34-year-old, champion last time the Open was held at Hoylake in 2014, said: “I didn’t really get it going on the front nine. I missed a few putts.

“A few putts started to go in on the back nine, which is nice to see. Hopefully I’ve got my eye in now and I can build on that over the next three days.

“I needed to stay patient out there. It wasn’t easy but I am still right in there.

“I need to shoot something in the 60s tomorrow and I will be right there for the weekend.”

Tommy Fleetwood rode a wave of home support to the top of the leaderboard as Rory McIlroy battled back from a poor start in the 151st Open Championship.

Roared on by a partisan crowd at Royal Liverpool, Fleetwood carded an opening 66 to share the clubhouse lead with South African amateur Christo Lamprecht and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo on five under par.

Antoine Rozner, Adrian Otaegui and Brian Harman were all a shot behind, with former champion Stewart Cink – who denied Tom Watson a fairytale victory in 2009 – part of a group on three under which included US Open champion Wyndham Clark.

McIlroy, who lifted the Claret Jug at Hoylake in 2014, was two over par after 13 holes before making birdies on the 14th and 15th and a crucial par on the 18th after needing two shots to escape a greenside bunker.

It is unlikely that McIlroy was aware of the statistic that 50 of the last 52 Open champions have been within five shots of the lead after round one, but a fist pump suggested he certainly felt it was an important finish.

“It was a really good par in the end,” McIlroy said. “I got lucky because that ball could have gone into a deeper part of my footprints and I could have been there all night.

“I could have let that round get away from me but I didn’t with the two birdies on the back nine. I need to shoot something in the 60s tomorrow and I will be right there for the weekend.”

Fleetwood revelled in the support of the large galleries in what will be an emotional week, with Friday marking the first anniversary of the death of his mother Sue.

“It really was a great day,” the 32-year-old from Southport said after a round containing six birdies and a solitary bogey.

“To get that support all day was amazing. If you’re not going to enjoy this atmosphere and these experiences then what’s the point? Make sure you have the time of your life out there.

“Being this close to home is the coolest thing and I’m so grateful to everyone that cheers me on. I am one of them, one of the guys that’s out there. I’m a fan of the game. I’m from this area. To feel that support, it means a lot.

“Of course throughout the day, you can easily put too much pressure on yourself. You can easily try too hard. But just having that support and people egging you on just pushes you on.”

Fleetwood has yet to register a win this season despite some excellent performances, including carding a 63 in the final round of the US Open for the second time in his career.

He also lost out in a play-off in the RBC Canadian Open when home favourite Nick Taylor holed from 72 feet for an eagle on the fourth extra hole.

“It’s much better having good results than getting kicked in the teeth all the time when you feel like you’re working so hard and you’re doing the right things,” he added.

“I enjoy the game, and I enjoy trying to get better. At the moment we’re obviously in this period where I have to be patient and trusting in what we’re doing.

“There’s times where it could go either way, and it hasn’t gone my way yet. Hopefully it’ll be my turn soon.”

Lamprecht carded seven birdies and two bogeys in his 66, the 6ft 8in 22-year-old having qualified by winning the Amateur Championship at nearby Hillside a month ago.

“It’s pretty surreal to be leading. (But) I think I earned my spot to be here,” Lamprecht said. “I think the way I played today I earned to be on the top of the leaderboard, as of now.

“It’s not a cocky thing to say. I just personally think I believe in myself and I guess stepping on to the first tee box, if you’re a professional or a competitor, you should be believing that you should be the best standing there.”

Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan struck the opening tee shot at 6.35am and enjoyed massive support as he carded an opening 69 matched by three-time major winner Jordan Spieth.

“Amazing. I’m kind of running out of words to describe it,” Jordan said of the reception he received. “It was crazy, mental, loud – everything that I could have wished for.

“I’m certainly trying to think of a better experience than that, and I don’t think I can.”

The controversial new 17th hole claimed its first victim, with Lucas Herbert, joint-leader at the time on three under, making a triple-bogey at the 126-yard par three.

Herbert missed the green to the left, chipped across the putting surface into a bunker, left his next in the sand and eventually finished with a six.