Rory McIlroy carded a 2-under 69 in the second round of The Open to give him back-to-back under-par rounds and, most importantly, a tee time on the weekend.

The 153rd Open Championship is at Royal Portrush – and as expected – the headlines are all about Rory McIlroy. That is because the Northern Ireland hero is responsible for both the

Rory McIlroy made partial amends with a 1-under 70 in his first round that at least hasn’t played him out of the tournament.

McIlroy didn't play his best Thursday at Royal Portrush but shot 1-under 70 and is three shots off the 18-hole lead.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland, July 18 (Reuters) - China's Li Haotong and American Brian Harman led the British Open second round on eight under par as home favourite Rory McIlroy's rollercoaster ride continued at Royal Portrush on Friday.

At this time six years ago, Rory McIlroy was already on his way home, heartbroken about missing the cut in his first “home” British Open.

Adding to the many cool sights at Royal Portrush's historic links this week was the British Open leaderboard showing Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard in the top 10.

Rory McIlroy came close to finishing among the leaders in the first round of the Open, but the back nine proved it can be a tough challenge for anyone.

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.