Dame Laura Davies shares whether she truly thinks Rory McIlroy can win The Open next week

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Dame Laura Davies has suggested whether Rory McIlroy could win The Open Championship after the Northern Irishman’s opening round at the Scottish Open on Thursday.

There was plenty of intrigue surrounding Rory McIlroy ahead of his opening round at the Scottish Open, with the 35-year-old making his return to the game following the agonising end to the US Open at Pinehurst last month.

McIlroy was clearly left devastated by what happened in North Carolina, but he did not allow that to impact his performance in the first round at The Renaissance Club on Thursday, with McIlroy producing a five-under par 65 to put himself right in contention.

It was not a perfect performance from McIlroy, but considering how long it has been since he last featured in a tournament, it was a real statement, particularly with The Open Championship coming up next week.

Rory McIlroy backed to compete for The Open title

And speaking on Sky Sports after his opening round (broadcast on 11/7; 13:40), Dame Laura Davies was asked about whether his performance hints that he is ready to go on and win in South Ayrshire.

“We’ll see at Troon. If he gets himself in contention again, which you imagine he would, it’s a golf course which perfectly suits his game,” he said.

“Really you have got to drive it well around Troon. Then under the gun around the stretch on Sunday afternoon, will he be able to put that out of his mind? I would say yes, because I think he is very strong with the way his mind works. You have to process what happened, he did, he took himself away, took some time and hasn’t played any golf since. The first round back is 65.”

The big question mark which hangs over Northern Irishman after US Open

The problem McIlroy was always going to face after the US Open was the fact that the pressure of the majors is so hard to replicate, so we are probably only going to find out how McIlroy has bounced back once he puts himself in contention in one of the four biggest events.

Ultimately, he was won the Scottish Open before, and not playing in the weeks beforehand probably freed him up somewhat ahead of his first round. It would give him a boost if he wins this week, but that may not prevent thoughts of the US Open creeping in if he is in contention at Troon.