CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Rory McIlroy’s return to the site of his first Open Championship has been rejuvenating. Seeing images of himself competing as a mop-topped amateur has reminded him of the care-free approach he once had. Expectations can be a heavy burden, and they’ve caused McIlroy to be too tense in the majors this year. He failed to seize the opportunity when he played his way into the final group at the Masters, then shot himself out of the U.S. Open before half the field had even teed off in the first round. “I’ve been a little too careful and too tentative,� he said. “Last day at Augusta, even the first day at Shinnecock, I was holding on a little too much. This week, one of my main thoughts is just to get it go. Just go out there and give it your all. I’d rather fail by trying 100 percent than by holding back. So far, it seems to have worked. McIlroy has opened The Open Championship with consecutive 69s to enter the weekend in contention for his second Claret Jug despite playing in the harder half of the draw. He shot 2 under par Friday while playing through the worst of the rain. Many players have been hitting irons off the tee at Carnoustie, using the firm fairways to roll their balls to the proper spot and avoid the penal pot bunkers. McIlroy didn’t want to be cautious, though. He wanted to rely on the best club in his bag, the driver. Friday’s rain forced him to abandon that plan, but the weekend’s sunny forecast should allow him to return to it. “With the dampness and the cold, a lot of fairway bunkers were in play with driver, where, if it’s dry and a little warmer, you’re flying those bunkers,� he said. “If the conditions do change and go back to the way they were yesterday, I’d see myself hitting a lot more drivers again. McIlroy, the 2016 FedExCup champion, is seeking his first major in four years. He won both The Open and PGA Championship in 2014, giving him four major victories in a four-year span. He has made just three bogeys through 36 holes at Carnoustie, where he was low amateur 11 years ago. He had four birdies and two bogeys Friday. “It was definitely a day where, don’t shoot yourself out of the tournament instead of trying to press on and build a lead or get an advantage,� McIlroy said. OBSERVATIONS Zach Johnson has already won one Claret Jug and been a consistent contender at The Open Championship. Over the past seven Opens, he has finished in the top 16 in six of them. “I feel like this championship more than any tournament completely magnifies exactly what I need to work on, my strengths and weaknesses,� he said. “Once I learned that – I don’t know if it was the first year or the second year or the third year – I just gravitated towards this style of golf. Johnson is back in contention at The Open after shooting 69-67 in the first two rounds. Johnson’s links career didn’t get off to a strong start. The Iowa native missed the cut in his first three Opens, shooting over par in five of those six rounds. He hasn’t missed a cut here since. He first played the weekend in an Open at Carnoustie in 2007, shooting 68-70 on the weekend to finish T20. He doesn’t remember much about that week, though. “The only shot I remember hitting here was an 8-iron on the eighth hole, which is a par-3, and I hit it out of bounds,� Johnson said. “I remember making the cut and thinking, ‘Man, this is good. Finally.’ He’s had a lot of success in the Open since, and it continued Friday.
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