McIlroy Gets Early Start at Open

Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy will be among the early starters when the Open gets under way on Thursday morning.

The US Open champion will tee off at Sandwich at 0909 BST, alongside 2002 winner Ernie Els and American Rickie Fowler.

The Northern Irish star will be bidding to become the youngest Open champion since 1893.

McIlroy will start as the bookies' favourite at Royal St George's and the 22-year-old will be hoping for a similar start to last year at St Andrews, where he opened with a record-equalling 63 and went on to finish third - a second-round of 80 in poor Friday weather ruining his title hopes.

McIlroy has not played a competitive round since his stunning US Open triumph last month, but practised in Kent last week and will give his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.

American Jerry Kelly will get the tournament under way at 0630.

Other notable pairings see world number one Luke Donald - fresh from his victory at the weekend's Scottish Open - out in the group immediately after McIlroy. The Englishman will play with Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

World number two Lee Westwood, third and second in the Open in the last two years, is alongside US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and American Steve Stricker at 1410, with defending champion Louis Oosthuizen in the group behind alongside world number three Martin Kaymer and Phil Mickelson.

British amateur Tom Lewis, from the same Welwyn Garden City club which launched the career of three-time winner Sir Nick Faldo, is out at 1432 with five-time champion Tom Watson and Sweden's Henrik Stenson.

The last man to tee off will be Singapore's Lam Chih-bing, who has to wait until 1611 to begin his campaign.