Brilliant round by McIlroy

ST ANDREWS, Scotland (AP):

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tied the major championship record by shooting a 9-under 63 in the opening round of the British Open yesterday.

Tiger Woods ensured he was in contention early, carding a 67 before warning his rivals he was regaining confidence after a run of poor form that has followed months of lurid headlines about his private life.

One of golf's brightest prospects, McIlroy started his romp with an eagle at the 352-yard ninth, where he drove the green and rolled in the putt. He then made six birdies on the homeward holes for a 30 that tied the tournament's back-nine record.

McIlroy became only the eighth player to go so low at the British Open, equalling a mark from 17 years ago by the late Payne Stewart at Royal St George. Overall, just 22 players have shot 63 in one of the four major tournaments, including Greg Norman and Vijay Singh, who each did it twice.

The last to do it: Woods at the 2007 US PGA Championship.

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa took a run at McIlroy until he failed to get up-and-down at 17, taking his only bogey on the way to a 65. John Daly matched the best score of his Open career with a 66, a number equalled by Scottish journeyman Andrew Coltart, England's Steven Tiley, Bradley Dredge of Wales and Sweden's Peter Hanson.

McIlroy missed the cut at the first two majors of the year, but began to live up to his enormous potential with his first PGA Tour win at Quail Hollow.

"I didn't get off to a flying start," McIlroy said. "The eagle on 9 really sort of turned things around for me, and I just got going from there. It was great to get into the rhythm of the round and get into a flow. And yeah, it was a very pleasant round of golf."

McIlroy had a chance to claim the record all to himself.

Disappointment for McIlroy

A brilliant approach at No. 17, the famed 'Road Hole', left him with a five-footer for birdie. But the putt slid wide of the cup, and McIlroy rolled back his head in disappoint-ment after tapping in the par, knowing that he had squandered a chance at a truly historic score.

While no one ever expects to shoot 63 in a major, it was certainly a day for posting a low number.

The birthplace of golf played like a public course for the morning starters, with hardly any wind blowing in off St Andrews Bay and only a sprinkling of rain. In fact, the sun popped out just as McIlroy was finishing up, and competitors were able to strip off their jackets and play in short sleeves.

"The old lady had no clothes on today," said 60-year-old Tom Watson, who opened with a 73 and was one of the few early starters who failed to break par.

Winds stiffened as the day went on, making it more difficult for afternoon players like Phil Mickelson, who took a double-bogey 6 at No. 13 and had nothing but pars over the first 17 holes. He finally made his first birdie at 18, but a 73 left him more concerned about making the cut than going for the lead on Friday.

Mickelson would move to No. 1 for the first time in his career with a win at St Andrews.

Clearly miffed at his performance, Mickelson blew off interview requests and quickly skipped out of the clubhouse.

Just past 6 o'clock, the expected rains finally arrived, at least on part of the course, forcing players to scramble for their wet gear. From then on, it was a mix of showers and sunshine as the last groups finished up.

England's Lee Westwood wasn't surprised to see such a low score atop the leaderboard. Even with a less favourable afternoon start time and playing with a ruptured calf muscle, which limited his practice time for the last two weeks, he shot 67 and was solidly in contention on a scoreboard filled with red numbers.