Rory McIlroy was one of the stars of round one at the Open, putting himself right in the mix for Claret Jug glory.
McIlroy sat just two shots off the lead after day one, after shooting a brilliant six under par 66 on the iconic St Andrews course.
He has been building in form and confidence in recent weeks, winning June's Canadian Open, and he is one of the favourites for this weekend's major.
Though his Thursday form was hugely impressive, there was an unfortunate moment for McIlroy. One of his tee shots had unfortunate consequences for a fan at the course, who was left with a fractured hand after ignoring McIlroy's "fore" shout.
Rory McIlroy: Northern Irishman breaks fan's hand with wayward Open shot
Rory McIlroy had blood on his hands (almost literally) after round one at the Open from St Andrews on Thursday.
McIlroy's near flawless first round sees him in contention for the lead going into day two, but one of his tee shots proved costly for an unlucky punter.
PGA Tour social media manager Charlie Kane was struck by a wayward tee shot from McIlroy, which unfortunately resulted in Kane's hand being fractured. He shared photos of the resulting damage to Twitter, saying he did "not heed the warning" of McIlroy shouting fore.
Fractured hand after Rory McIlroy’s drive landed on my knuckle.
He shouted fore. I did not heed the warning. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/91bOwuA4mY— Charlie Kane (@PGATOURKane) July 14, 2022
Kane's injury is certainly unfortunate, but it's good to see he can appreciate the funny side of the unlucky moment.
READ HERE: Ian Poulter Got Snarky When Questioned About Being Booed At The Open
The wayward tee shot was virtually Rory McIlroy's only error in his first round, which put him right in the hunt for a first major championship in eight years.
McIlroy won both the Open and the PGA Championship in 2014, and has not won one of golf's big four since then. He came close at last month's US Open, and will be hoping to continue the charge into the weekend.
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