Rory's glory - Sergio leads but Ulster teenager's the talk of Carnoustie - Sport

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After a three-under-par first round of 68 at Carnoustie gave him a place on a Europedominated leaderboard behind Sergio Garcia (65) and Paul McGinley (67), the 18-year-old from Holywood in Northern Ireland thanked his supporters, some of whom are undertaking humble tasks around the course.

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Teen spirit: McIlroy watches his chip at the 14th during a bogey-free round of 68 that left him three shots behind first-round leader Garcia

"I've got quite a few friends here this week and a few of them are working here, doing the scoreboards and stuff," he said.

"I'm a normal teenager, but I'm a pretty good golfer as well."

His latter comment looked an understatement after a superb bogey-free round that left him a stroke ahead of Tiger Woods.

He said: "Tiger's always been my hero and it's a pretty special feeling that I shot one better."

McIlroy is aiming to make the biggest impact at an Open since Justin Rose, who emerged from obscurity to finish tied fourth in 1998 just before his 18th birthday.

He said: "I came here to try to make the cut and be the leading amateur, but hopefully I can be in Justin's position. That's going to be my mindset for the next few days. Hopefully, I can get used to seeing myself on television."