Rory McIlroy in danger of missing the cut at Open Championship after disastrous opening round

Is he too far back to rescue the situation to still make a run at a fifth major title in The 152nd Open?

After shooting a seven-over 78 to lie 10 strokes behind clubhouse leader Justin Thomas on a day of 25 mph southerly gusts at Royal Troon, the eyes said it all – even if McIlroy didn’t.

“Erm, I mean, all I need to focus on is tomorrow and try to make the cut,” he said in a media appearance that was limited to just three questions. “That’s all I can focus on.”

It was a brutally frustrating day for the world number two, who began with a soft bogey at the first, got a shot back with a wedge to three feet at the fourth before coming unstuck by making two double bogeys and a bogey in a four-hole stretch around the turn.

After taking two to escape from sand left at the Postage Stamp eighth, he bogeyed the 10th and then double-bogeyed the 11th, driving the ball so far out of bounds right that he was close to the railway nine.

Another shot went at the 15th, where he put his second…