Rory McIlroy Fires 65 As Open Warning Shot

Rory McIlroy didn’t exactly tiptoe into Open Championship mode. He stomped through the par 5s at The Renaissance Club and reminded the Genesis Scottish Open field that when his driver behaves, everyone else has a problem.

McIlroy opened Thursday with a 5-under 65, grabbing a share of the early lead alongside Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim and Bernd Wiesberger.

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Brooks Koepka lurked one shot back, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler waited for his afternoon tee time on a postcard-perfect day along the Firth of Forth.

For McIlroy, the round was built the old-fashioned way ... punish the scoring holes, keep the ball in play and let the rest of the field feel the heat.

Starting on No. 10, he really kicked things into gear at the par-5 first, draining an 18-foot eagle putt. He also birdied the other two par 5s, turning what could’ve been a solid round into a loud pre-Open statement.

“I felt like I drove the ball particularly well,” McIlroy said, adding that he started seeing signs of that at Shinnecock Hills during the U.S. Open. “Once I do that, I feel like I can attack courses and I can set up scoring opportunities.”

That’s the part that should get everyone’s attention before Royal Birkdale.

McIlroy hasn’t looked fully explosive since his quiet U.S. Open, but Thursday had a different vibe.

The Renaissance Club isn’t true links turf, but it’s close enough to start sharpening the instincts for next week’s final major.

Cantlay’s 65 came with a different flavor.

The American hasn’t won in nearly four years and entered the week ranked No. 37 in the world, his lowest position in more than eight years.

But he found a spark with a slightly heavier putter, rolling in five birdies over 10 holes before grinding through a clean finish.

“I’ve been putting in some hard work with my team,” Cantlay said, “and have got some important golf the rest of the year.”

Koepka, meanwhile, sounded like a man who knows he left shots all over the property. He missed four putts from seven feet or closer, including one from 20 inches, yet still posted 66.

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“It could have been a very, very good round,” Koepka said.

The leaderboard is already spicy, and The Open tune-up just got serious.