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. 

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 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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The PGA Tour have confirmed that $7.5million - half of the Players Championship prize money - will be equally distributed among every player in the field.

Rory McIlroy would rather postpone the Ryder Cup until 2021 than play it this year without fans. The first two major championships of the year - the Masters and the US PGA - have already been postponed.

Christina Wohle of Francestown, New Hampshire lost her son Cole to a heart attack just days after his 18th birthday in July of 2016.

The star's boyfriend, who celebrated his birthday one day prior, also took to social media to show off his pretty lady and his growing baby.

The billionaire heiress, 35, showed off her toned physique in the snap, highlighting her ample assets in a plunging floral print swimsuit.

Chrissy Teigen was a bit worse for the wear in the aftermath of her Halloween night and vowed to her fans that she was never going out ever again in hysterical video on Friday.

The himaker, 36, showed the two boys she shares with husband Mike Fisher, 39, Isaiah, four, dressed as The Grinch and nine-months-old baby Jacob dressed as a Cheer Bear in a snap on Thursday

Britney Spears waited until the day after Halloween to show off-to 23 million Instagram followers-her Alice in Wonderland costume. She wasn't the only Britney Spears out in Hollywood this year.

The 23-year-old reality star flaunted her impressively long legs in a golden feathered mini dress before enlisting the help of a pair of horses to give her the ultimate photo shoot backdrop.

San Diego police said that a man, dressed in a white robe and red sash as shown, walked up to a police officer who was trying to arrest someone else and then punched the cop in the face.

Cardi B put her curvaceous figure on full display in a behind-the-scenes video shot by her husband Offset. The rapper was glimpsed from behind in an edit-free shot of her Poison Ivy costume.

The eldest child of David and Victoria Beckham, 20, cut a casual figure as he wore a pair of jeans with a white T-shirt.

Luann De Lesseps mingled with her fellow Real Housewives Of New York City at a Halloween party this week.

The Bodak Yellow artist performed to a packed house at KAOS Nightclub. She also opted for Poison Ivy as her Halloween inspiration for another costume she posted to Instagram.

Emily Ratajkowski flaunted her lean curves in a pink crop top and underwear as she and husband Sebastian Bear-McClard dressed up as Carmela and Tony Soprano for Halloween.

Video was filmed on cell phone by an individual who passed by the vehicle that was parked on the corner of East 95th Street and Clarkson Avenue in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn.

She blew threw a cavalcade of Halloween costumes this week. And on Friday Kylie Jenner treated her 150 million Instagram followers to a glimpse at yet another one of her glamorous getups.

About 200 guests attending a Halloween party in Sydney's West on Friday night poured out into the streets - causing riot squad police to be called in.

Move over Halloween, it's Christmas season now. And the stars of Netflix's upcoming Christmas themed romcom, Let It Snow, are ushering in the holiday season as they ready for their premiere.