Rory McIlroy says he is feeling more confident than at any time since 2016 as he bids to end his wretched run at the US Open.

Rory McIlroy made a healthy start to the US Open on Thursday night as he shot up the leaderboard with a three-under par round of 68. 

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER AT PEBBLE BEACH: After years of woe in the US Open first round, Rory McIlroy delivered arguably his strongest opening day since 2014.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT PEBBLE BEACH: One month to go until the biggest sporting event the province has seen, and the boys from Northern Ireland are building up a head of steam.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER AT PEBBLE BEACH: Is it possible to win a major golf tournament without actually playing well? Justin Rose appears determined to find out.

Rory McIlroy says victory at next month's Open Championship would be the 'most special' of his career.

Rory McIlroy arrived at the ASI Scottish Open thinking that if he could muster four rounds of 67, he'd have a good chance of claiming his first victory in Scotland.

Rory McIlroy has admitted defeat in his quest to land the Scottish Open title but believes his game is sharp enough to contend for the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush.

Rory McIlroy could hardly ask for a more opportune moment than this to play an Open at home. It means the feelgood narrative is all about Rory's return rather than McIlroy misfiring.

Rory McIlroy admits it would 'mean the world' to win an Open Championship on home soil after completing the ASI Scottish Open with an error-strewn final round.

IAN LADYMAN AT ROYAL PORTRUSH: Few will find their return to this wonderful stretch of links more poignant than Bezuidenhout. It was here that the 25-year-old was banned for two years.

BETTING GUIDE: The 2019 Open Championship. Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka are heavily fancied. But who else is worth a punt? CHRIS CUTMORE makes his picks here.

Rory McIlroy is deliberately trying to keep his Open Championship campaign low key as expectations rocket about the possibility of him securing a home win in Northern Ireland.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER AT ROYAL PORTRUSH: To be on the coastline of County Antrim this week is to see a country beaming its most toothsome smile.

Golf's biggest names, including Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka, have now finalised their preparations for what should be a fascinating four days at The Open.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT ROYAL PORTRUSH: McIlroy said he wanted to punch himself after a nightmare start at The Open on Thursday, shooting an eight-over-par round of 79.

MARTIN SAMUEL AT ROYAL PORTRUSH: Rory McIlroy was far from being stirred by Northern Ireland's first Open since 1951 - it was as if he momentarily forgot how to play or what it all meant.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT ROYAL PORTRUSH: What a weird and wonderful first round at the 148th Open. One where the Masters champion barely broke 80.

Sportsmail's IAN LADYMAN was at Royal Portrush on Thursday and has provided six pieces of insight after round one of the 2019 Open Championship.

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI AT ROYAL PORTRUSH: After the choke came the roar. Unfortunately for Rory McIlroy, it wasn't quite loud enough to change the outcome of this sorry and soggy trip home.

An emotional Rory McIlroy was left holding back tears after missing the cut in The Open at Royal Portrush by a shot following a valiant six-under par second round of 65. 

MIKE DICKSON AT PORTRUSH: Rory McIlroy would have needed to be a robot not to feel the pressure of playing in the Open on its return to Portrush, according to Graeme McDowell.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT PORTRUSH: Paul McGinley compares Rory McIlroy to the brightest schoolboy in the classroom who has a tendency to daydream every now and then. 

DEREK LAWRENSON AT PORTRUSH: Shane Lowry became The Open champion on Sunday, Sportsmail's golf correspondent gives his highs and lows of the tournament.

Lowry stormed to his very first major win on Sunday, cruising home by six shots at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. By contrast McIlroy missed Friday's cut by one shot.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT PORTRUSH: On Sunday evening at Royal Portrush, they drank a marquee dry. Then they moved on to Dublin town. The Claret Jug has embraced the party animal.

The 32-year-old won The Open Championship at Royal Portrush on Sunday, becoming the fifth Irish player to lift the Claret Jug after Fred Daly, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy has won two tournaments this season and is the No 1 on the PGA Tour when it comes to the two most important categories concerning play from tee to green but he struggled at The Open.

Rory McIlroy grabbed a one-shot lead over Brooks Koepka in the third round at the WGC-St. Jude Invitational in Memphis on Saturday, setting up the prospect of a mouth-watering finale.

Now we know how to get Brooks Koepka interested in events outside the majors. Just stick Rory McIlroy next to him going into the final round.

Rory McIlroy carded a six-under-par 65 in the opening round of The Northern Trust as Tiger Woods struggled to a 75 in the first FedEx Cup play-off event.

Rory McIlroy embarrassed Matt Kuchar in hilarious fashion during a sponsor's event, leaving his rival squirming and world No 1 Brooks Koepka in fits of laughter.

Koepka sought out DeChambeau on the putting green before the start of the final round on Sunday, while Englishman Eddie Pepperell characteristically took no prisoners.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: Are we about to see a genuine rivalry break out in golf? Goodness knows, there have been enough false dawns.

He's less than two months away from celebrating seven years of marriage to Jessica Biel, with whom he raises four-year-old son Silas.

The feat placed him above celebrity competitors Michael Pena, Dennis Quaid, Anthony Mackie, professional golfer Rory McIlroy and One Direction star Niall.

Rory McIlroy picked up five shots in his last five holes to fly up the leaderboard and sit just one shot off the lead heading into the weekend at the Omega European Masters.

Andres Romero opened up a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Omega European Masters but Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy were well in contention in Switzerland.

It's not only the Masters at Augusta that continues to be an elusive target for Rory McIlroy. The European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre keeps slipping from his grasp as well.

McIlroy added another award to his trophy cabinet as he was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year for a third time following a 2018-19 campaign capped by his FedExCup championship triumph.

The singer indulged in one of his other passions as he played golf on the Old Course at St Andrews at the preview for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Tuesday.

DEREK LAWRENSON AT ST ANDREWS: Rory McIlroy rounded off a fortnight's golf in Britain with six straight birdies on Sunday and a pointed barb in the direction of the European Tour.

DEREK LAWRENSON - WORLD OF GOLF: JP Fitzgerald took two years off after being fired as Rory McIlroy's caddie in the summer of 2017.

Once the winner of the £170 million EuroMillions jackpot gets their hands on the cash, they'll be richer than singer Ed Sheeran, golfer Rory McIlroy and Queen's Brian May.

Brooks Koepka has poked a little bit of fun at Rory McIlroy after being asked whether there is a rivalry between the two players. He doesn't consider McIlroy a rival after his poor form in majors.

It's Hot or Not time again as Sportsmail's Riath Al-Samarrai reveals what's been making him feel warm and what's been leaving him cold this week.

Speaking ahead of his title defence at last week's CJ Cup in South Korea, world number one Koepka was asked about his rivalry with McIlroy and said: 'I've been out here for what, five years?

Every was suspended from the PGA Tour for violating its drug policy, even though he said that the ban was for cannabis, for which he claims to have a prescription on medical grounds.

The end of the year is a time for reflection, looking back at the great and the good of the sporting world and those moments that have shown the best of 2019. We don't care about that, though, do we?

BY RIATH-AL-SAMARRAI: Brooks Koepka said in October that theirs wasn't much of a rivalry and he was right. Then. But now? In four tournaments since, McIlroy has gone 3-1-4-3.