World number 354 Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark, China’s Li Haotong and England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick shot four-under-par 67s to share the British Open first-round lead in tough conditions at Royal Portrush on Thursday.

World number one Scottie Scheffler was one stroke adrift after a 68, and Rory McIlroy made a solid start to his bid for a second Claret Jug after recovering from a nervous bogey five at the first hole.

That was three shots better than he managed in the 2019 Open at Portrush, but not what his legion of fans had hoped for after the world number two became the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam by winning this year’s Masters.

The Northern Irishman regained his composure to birdie the second and fifth holes and get to one under par.

After early sunshine on the Dunluce Links, heavy rain made life difficult for the players.

Qualifier Olesen sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the tough opening hole and eagled the 12th before making his second bogey at the last.

“Obviously, annoyed to finish off with a bogey and not getting it up in two from there. But it happens, and whether it happens on hole seven or hole 18, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter,” Olesen said. “I always feel like if I play my game that I can do well, especially around links courses.”

Brutal course

Li made four birdies in a flawless round. The world number 111 finished third in the 2017 Open at Birkdale after shooting a closing 63.

American Scheffler picked up five birdies and was happy with his game despite bogeys at the ninth and 11th holes as he seeks his first British Open title.
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“I think I had 18 highlights today. I tried to avoid a bogey and did it, which is great,” Li said. “It’s very tough, brutal.”

Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, eagled the second hole and notched up three birdies.

“I just felt like I did everything well,” he said. “Drove it well, approach play was good, and chipped and putted well. It was just an all around good day.”

American Scheffler picked up five birdies and was happy with his game despite bogeys at the ninth and 11th holes as he seeks his first British Open title. “Felt like I hit the ball nice off the tee, and really only had one swing I wasn’t too happy with on maybe the second hole, so definitely a good bit of confidence for the next couple rounds,” he said.

England’s Matthew Jordan joined the American on 68.

Former world number one Lee Westwood, 52, and Dane Nicolai Hojgaard also began well with two-under 69s.

Veteran American Phil Mickelson, the 2013 Open champion, rolled back the years with a 70, including a spectacular par-save when he holed out from a greenside bunker.

“That bunker shot that buried in the lip, and then to make it, it was obviously a lot of luck. It was crazy. I was just trying to save bogey, and I got lucky,” the 55-year-old said.

The India A men’s hockey team suffered an unfortunate 1-3 loss in its European tour against Belgium at the Sportcentrum WilrijksePlein in Antwerpen, Belgium on Thursday.

Captain Sanjay led his side from the front and scored the solitary goal for the Indian team.

Belgium scored three goals in the first quarter itself, taking an early lead in the match. After the setback, India did well to sustain the pressure, hold possession over the remaining three quarters and even managed to score in the final quarter.

After the match India ‘A’ Coach Shivendra Singh said, “Despite a shaky start, the overall game was very good. We conceded early but did well to bounce back and control the game in the second half. The ball positioning was good and we created a lot of chances, just need to focus on our finishing.”

The India A men’s hockey team will now head to back to Eindhoven to play two crucial matches against The Netherlands on July 18 and July 20 at 21:30 IST and 20:30 IST respectively.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark will not compete in the WNBA All-Star game this weekend, the Rookie of the Year said on Thursday, after missing playing time due to injury.

The all-time collegiate scoring record holder sparked a women’s basketball renaissance in Indianapolis and was expected to be among the main attractions at this weekend’s event in her team’s home market.

She will also miss the 3-Point Contest, where she was set to face off against record-holder Sabrina Ionescu of the reigning champions New York Liberty.

“I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game. I have to rest my body,” said Clark.

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“I will still be at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy (Brondello) coach our team to a win. Can’t wait to see you all out there!”

Clark was sidelined from Wednesday’s game against the Liberty due to a right-groin injury, after missing several more games earlier this season due to a quad injury and left-groin injury.

Clark, who had never missed a collegiate game due to injury, was named one of the team captains for the All-Star Game after receiving the most fan votes with 1,293,526 casting her on their ballots.

“I’m so excited for Indy to host WNBA All-Star this weekend,” Clark said in her statement. “I know this will be the best All-Star yet.”