It was a return six years in the making, and it was a return that perfectly encapsulated Rory McIlroy. Making the trek back to Royal Portrush for The Open Championship -- now as a career grand slam winner -- the Northern Irishman experienced a topsy-turvy day as the hard stuff came easy and the easy stuff came hard.

McIlroy, playing with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, is one of the early starters in Friday’s second round and sits just three shots behind the leaders overnight, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler,

Just as a certain Northern Irishman’s golf ball flew left, but not too far left, and safely settled in the rough, the sun peeked ou

The top-ranked golfer in the world posted an early 3-under 68 and entered the clubhouse at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland just a shot off the lead. By the end of the day, though, there were five golfers — Jacob Skov, Olesen, Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpartick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Harris English — tied for the lead at 4-under.

The Open Championship had a little bit of everything Thursday, from sunshine to rain, a breeze to strong gusts. And no surprise, it had Scottie Scheffler right in the mix.