World number one Rory McIlroy was struggling to reproduce his Ryder Cup form on the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship yesterday.

McIlroy was an approximate eight under par in beating Rickie Fowler 5&4 in the singles at Gleneagles as Europe defeated the United States for the eighth time in the last 10 events.

But the 25-year-old failed to register a single birdie in the first 12 holes of his first round in the pro-am event which is played over the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

Carnoustie is traditionally the hardest of the three courses but was playing relatively easy in benign conditions, with the top four on the leaderboard all at the Open Championship venue.