Confident Rory breaks course record in Aberdeen
And for good measure he chipped in with what is believed to be the Tourâs second-longest drive â a whopping 436 yards on the downwind par-four 13th.
McIlroy lowered the course record by two shots that handed him a one stroke lead and also his sixth European Tour course record low. Swedenâs Kristoffer Broberg had established a new mark of 65 after going out in the first group at 6:30am, but that lasted a matter of two hours as McIlroy also made light of the windy conditions.
He leads from Argentinaâs Ricardo Gonzalez, who had moved to eight under par after an eagle at the 12th hole. But he dropped two shots over the next four holes to finish with a six under par 65 and tied with Swedenâs Kristoffer Broberg who recently shared third place in the Irish Open.
McIlroyâs career low proudly remains the sizzling 61 he posted as a 16-year old at Royal Portrush but since turning pro heâs been fast out of the blocks on both sides of the Atlantic but more often than not, has failed to breast the winning tape.
To cite a few examples there is a first round course record 63 at the 2008 European Masters but he followed that with a 71 to finish runner-up while he famously set a new Old Course low, also of 63, in the 2010 British Open but came out a day later and recorded an 80.
More recently, he signed off for a 63 in this yearâs 25th anniversary Dubai Desert Classic but then backed that up with a day two 70 to finish the week tied ninth.
In the States, McIlroyâs lowest opening scores include a first day 64 to win the 2012 BMW Championship and a pair of 63s he recorded earlier this year at the Honda Classic and the Memorial. However he eventually lost out in a play-off at the Honda and faded badly on day two in Dublin, Ohio with a second round 78 and end T15th.
âItâs more mental than anything else,â he said.
âEvery time I have played well or had success my mind hasnât been too much on the leaderboard or too much on my position in the tournament.
âWhere I feel Iâve gotten myself into the lead or I shoot 63 like I did in the Memorial or Iâm in the top-10 going into a weekend at the US Open or whatever, Iâve sort of focused a little too much on that part of it.
âSo tomorrow I am going to really focus on trying to keep the lead and just play a solid round of golf.â
McIlroy found the green with his drive at the wind-assisted 436-yard par four 13th hole, and while he surprised the three-ball in front that included Ian Poulter, itâs believed to be the Tourâs second longest drive and nine yards short of Indiaâs Shiv Kapurâs effort of 445-yards in the 2012 Maderia Islands Open.
âIt just trickled on the green and I said to Ian it was a 3-wood but no, it was a driver,â smiled McIlroy.
âI was confident of finding the green because I knocked it on the green in the Pro-Am.â
Michael Hoey was pleased with his decision to compete in Aberdeen and shooting a five-under par 66 just four days after sharing seventh spot in France to earn a place in next weekâs British Open bodes well for him.
However after also qualifying last week for only a third British Open Hoey was speaking of withdrawing from the Scottish Open, the Ulsterman could not have been happier in ending his round with eagle, par, birdie and birdie.
âIâve now played nine out of the last 12 weeks but then I donât feel tired, so even if I was to miss the cut I thought it will still be good prep for next week,â he said.
âSo, really, itâs hard to miss big tournaments like this given the field, the World Ranking points and the prize money. And when I saw this course for a first time I just thought it was great. Itâs a proper links and very much like Royal Portrush.â
Hoey also went close to matching Roryâs drive at the 13th; hitting his tee shot 420-yards and capping his round at the 15th with a 380-yard drive to 10 feet and holing for an eagle two.
Former British Open winners Darren Clarke and PĂĄdraig Harrington warmed up for next weekâs championship with scores of 69 and 71.
