McIlroy Ends Eventful Thursday on 67

Rory McIlroy kept his emotions in check after striking a spectator as he birdied two of the last three holes in an eventful three-under 67 on the first day of the Open Championship.

The 23-year-old made a steady start at Royal Lytham with six opening pars before he birdied seven and eight to turn in 32 before beginning the inward half with a bogey.

But he birdied the next two before pushing his drive at the 15th, his ball cannoning off the head of a young fan and finishing out of bounds to cost the Northern Irishman a double-bogey.

However, McIlroy drove the 16th green and two-putted for birdie, and he converted a sublime approach to five feet at the last to return to three under - three behind leader Adam Scott.

"I thought I did well to keep my composure and keep my concentration and finish the way I did. I'm very pleased with that," McIlroy said. "It's a great position heading into the second day.

"It was an eventful last four holes. Everything was going along pretty nicely standing on the 15th tee. I had a tee shot slightly right and I got an unfortunate break.

"If he could have headed it the other way at 15, it would have been in the fairway. The most important thing was that he was okay. I would have felt terrible if it had have been worse than what it was.

"But I liked how I reacted. I bogeyed 10 from the middle of the fairway with a wedge in my hand so that wasn't so good and reacting to that on 15 the way I did as well is very pleasing.

"I was very calm. My emotions were good out there and I didn't miss many fairways or greens. It was pretty much under control and I would rate my game pretty high at the moment."