Rory McIlroy had 2 disastrous holes through his nightmarish first round at the Open Championship that took him from tournament favorite to struggling to make the cut

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Rory McIlroy had a tough day.

• Rory McIlroy got off to a bad start at the Open Championship on Thursday.
• McIlroy's first drive landed out of bounds, and eventually needed eight strokes to finish the par-4 1st at Royal Portrush.
• Things got worse from there, with a disastrous three-putt at the 16th and at triple-bogey at the 18th leaving him 8-over on the round.
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Rory McIlroy got off to a nightmarish start at the Open Championship on Thursday.

The Nothern Ireland-native was set to be a hometown hero at Royal Portrush, but a disastrous start derailed his hopes of lifting the Claret Jug before they could even begin to take shape.

Read more: 11 sleeper picks to win the Open Championship at Royal Portrush

McIlroy's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day began on the first swing of his round, with his opening drive landing out of bounds.

Things would get worse from there, with McIlroy unable to save his misstep with a stroke of brilliance. His provisional shot wound up in the rough, and his next swing left him searching for his ball in the deep stuff.

Ultimately, McIlroy would finish the first hole with an eight, putting him 4-over with 71 holes (hopefully) left to play.

It wouldn't even be the worst part of McIlroy's round. After finding a bit of a groove through the middle of his round, Rory collapsed on the final stretch, needing three putts from inches away on the par-3 16th to put away a double-bogey.

On the 18th, McIlroy would conclude his round with a triple-bogey, leaving him at 8-over on the round, far from making the potential cut and even further from contending for the Claret Jug.

It's difficult to imagine a more disappointing start for the hometown favorite. On the bright side, it feels almost impossible that things could get worse.

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