Golf-Harrington to hit first shot at Open before the McIlroy show
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (Reuters) -Two-time major winner Padraig Harrington will have the honour of striking the first tee shot when the 153rd Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush on Thursday, launching golf's oldest major back onto Northern Ireland's dramatic County Antrim coastline.
The Irishman, who captured back-to-back Opens in 2007 and 2008, will begin the action at 06:35 local time alongside Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard and Northern Ireland's own Tom McKibbin.
McKibbin hails from Hollywood, 60 miles south of Portrush, but will not attract the same fanfare as the town's most celebrated son Rory McIlroy, who will be the favourite for the majority of the 270,000 fans expected throughout the week.
For five-time major winner McIlroy, it will be a homecoming after he completed his career grand slam with this year's Masters triumph.
He will tee off at 3:10pm alongside American two-time major winner Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, who is bidding to become the first English player to hoist the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1992.
American Xander Schauffele begins his title defence at 09:58 in a powerful group featuring Spain's Jon Rahm and this year's surprise U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is in the next group alongside fellow American, 2021 champion Collin Morikawa, and Ireland's Shane Lowry, who romped to an emotional victory on this very Dunluce course six years ago.
McIlroy, 36, will be desperate to banish the ghosts of 2019, when his dream turned into a nightmare with a quadruple-bogey eight at the par-four opening hole after going out of bounds en route to a tournament-wrecking 79.
"It's lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that's happened this year," McIlroy, whose maiden Open title came at Royal Liverpool in 2014, said. "I'm excited with where my game is. I feel like I'm in a good spot."
The recent scorching weather across Britain has left the scenic par-71 layout firm and fast, but thunderstorms have already disrupted practice rounds.
With heavy rain showers forecast for Thursday and the breeze expected to strengthen for the later starters, all 156 competitors will be keeping one eye on the fickle Causeway Coast weather as they chase golf's most coveted prize.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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