Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Portrush

There are thousands of people in a state of shock after that tee shot from Rory McIlroy. An awful start for McIlroy. This is not the start he would have wanted or anticipated.

Image source, Reuters

That jangling you can hear at your desk is the rattling of Rory McIlroy's nerves as his ball settles close to the out of bounds marker on the first.

Gary Woodland and Paul Casey find the fairway and what's this.... A RELOAD from Rory. He must know he's out of bounds but he leaves the tee with a smile.

Nasty stuff.

Yes, oh you little beauty.

Emiliano Grillo cracks his tee shot up onto a ridge on the left of the green and with a hop and skip it starts moving, never deviating off line unitl it settles in the cup.

He picks his ball out and throws it into the crowd.

His card has birdies and even a triple-bogey on it. Add an ace in there my man, add an ace in there.

Back to level par.

Huge, huge roars for Rory McIlroy as he walks onto the first tee.

He's alongside US Open champion Gary Woodland and Paul Casey.

And what's this on 13? A HOLE IN ONE.....

Image source, Getty Images

Graeme McDowell is eyeing a birdie but leaves a putt short on three. There's so much support for the Portrush native who qualified for The Open by finishing tied for eighth at the RBC Canadian Open.

We have a new leader folks. It's Scotland's Robert MacIntyre. The 22-year-old from Oban has just eagled the par-four fifth.

He shoots up to three under par, leapfrogging the nine players on two under.

More huge roars on the first. This time by those huddled round the tee. Here comes Francesco Molinari. The Champion Golfer of 2018. Nice ring to it that.

The Italian sweeps down the stairs, past the Claret Jug, which is in a glass case to the back right.

Molinari is playing with American Bryson DeChambeau and Adam Scott of Australia.

"This is game number 19. On the tee from Italy, the defending champion Francesco Molinari..."

An iron first up. A swish. The big brown eyes following his ball. Left edge, first cut. It's ok.

Dechambeau is next. Trademark flat cap. Irons all the same length. He's a yard past Molinari, Two yards to the right. On the fairway.

Scott is last to play. A couple of yards shorter. But dead centre.

Image source, Getty Images

Darren Clarke could not put that 10ft birdie chance away on 13 and so the lead remains shared.

Charley Hoffman made birdie on the same 13th hole and is now one of the nine leaders on two under.

Take a bow Scotland's Connor Syme. The 24-year-old from Kirkcaldy has just holed out from the first fairway. He must have been in a spot of bother off the tee though because it's only a birdie.

His wedge skipped up to the right of the hole, took a bit of side spin and hopped into the hole.

From what could've been a scramble to save par, it's a much better outcome for the man who missed the cut at Birkdale in his only other Open Championship appearance in 2017.

Look at this. The greenery, the coast line, what a way to earn a crust.

Image source, PA

Ice cool from the Ice Man as Henrik Stenson makes birdie on two. He delicately caressed his chip to within three inches, making life easy.

Darren Clarke is back in a share of the lead after a birdie on 12, while back on two, Xander Schauffele judges a left-to-right break perfectly to start birdie-birdie.

I've long thought the American would win a major and I'm convinced he will before too long.

Birdie for G-Mac on two, the local boy is drawing roars and WHAT'S THIS?

Clarke arrows his tee shot on the par-three 13th to within 10ft - he may well soon lead again!

Over on the fourth and Andrew Johnston is in a spot of bother. He's down the left. The ball is below his stance, buried in the deep rough. He has a wild swish and his ball scuttles across the fairway, plunging into more deep stuff short of the green. He doesn't manage to get up and down so a shot goes.

Up ahead on the fifth and Sergio Garcia is left scratching his head after missing out on the birdie-hole of the day so far. A tap-in par after pushing a 10-foot birdie attempt.

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Royal Portrush

Image source, BBC Sport

These houses overlook the fifth tee - they’ve also got a cracking view out into the Atlantic - and one home owner has gone all out in support of local lad Graeme McDowell.

Let’s hope the home favourite spots his giant banner hanging from the balcony. If he doesn’t, his brother Gary just might... he’s part of the green-keeping staff at Royal Portrush.

Romain Langasque has enjoyed a lovely morning but he's short on the eighth and flicks his chip over the flag. A tester for par, some 15ft roughly... nope. So that takes him back to a share of the lead - six players in all now in the mix.

Ian Poulter, for eagle, the big bird.... not quite. It will be birdie on the second and after such a brilliant second shot he richly deserves that.

Image source, Getty Images

Portrush head professional Gary McNeill: "The first of the two new holes is a very strong par five from an elevated tee into the valley with natural high dunes along the right side, separating the course from the beach. There is a big bunker on that flank which requires a 300-yard carry. The hazard is a nod to the famous 'Big Nelly' bunker that was on the old 17th. The second shot is uphill and the landing area narrows as you get nearer a green that has plenty of undulations. It should be in range after a good tee shot despite playing into the prevailing wind."

The seventh hole is one of the two new holes that Royal Portrush put in place for this Open Championship. It's a massive par-five affair that runs parallel to the beach but is separated, and somewhat sheltered, by a huge sand dune down the right.

Phil Mickelson smashes his drive down the middle, heading in the same direction as Shane Lowry.

The par-three sixth is only 185 yards long but it's playing into what wind is blowing. The tee box is perched on the cliff edge and the players fire straight inland to a tricky, lumpy, bumpy green.

It's too tricky a hole for Phil Mickelson today. Lefty missing a 10-footer for par to slip back to two over. Two gloves and losing a stone in weight don't appear to be helping at the moment.

Branden Grace and Shane Lowry walk off with regulation pars.

Darren Clarke is hunched over his putter, his face one of frustration as a par putt on goes past on 11.

Back on the second hole Ian Poulter has just fizzed a super shot into the green on this par five, leaving maybe 20ft for eagle.

He'd love a putt like Xander Schauffele just holed on the first, a snaking effort for birdie and a super start. Brilliant putt. Pick it out.

He finished second last year remember...

Just to mark your card...the BBC Radio 5 Live team are up and running at Royal Portush. You can click the link on this page to listen to Iain Carter, John Murray, Ali Bruce-Ball and more describe the action.

And there will be television highlights of round one on BBC Two from 20:00 BST this evening.

The Postman makes par on one. Ian Poulter had a look at birdie but got his line wrong and it's a solid rather than spectacular start.

There are currently 3,589 players on two under and in the lead. I'm joking but I'll bring you a leaderboard shortly.

Oh, what's this, my man Romain Langasque rolls home a birdie hit dead weight. It just about made it and he now leads the masses on his own - three under after seven holes.