Rory McIlroy was one of the pre-Championship favourites.
Carnoustie has a reputation for providing one of the toughest golfing challenges in the world.
But Rory McIlroy believes that it has become easier than the one he was used to.
The multiple major winner, who played his first Open in Angus over a decade ago, shot a two-under par round on day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
But with plenty of better scores than that, including Matthew Southgate’s seven-under par 65, McIlroy didn’t feel satisfied with first round total.
“I think Carnoustie over the years has gotten a little easier,” he said.
“They have taken a lot of the gorse bushes out where you really had to think about some tee shots, even when I first started to play here.
“And now, with trying to accommodate a lot of spectators or The Open Championship, they have taken a lot of the gorse out, which makes a lot of the tee shots easier, and I think that’s probably why you’re seeing a few lower scores around Carnoustie than you’re used to seeing.”
