Troon (UK): Treacherous and unfamiliar challenges lie in wait as the British Open returns to Royal Troon this week and Rory McIlroy returns to the hunt for the Claret Jug.
<img title="Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy practices ahead of the 2016 British Open golf championship at Royal Troon in Scotland yesterday. Pic/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/14Rory-McIlroy-1.jpg" alt="Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy practices ahead of the 2016 British Open golf championship at Royal Troon in Scotland yesterday. Pic/AFP" /> Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy practices ahead of the 2016 British Open golf championship at Royal Troon in Scotland yesterday. Pic/AFP
McIlroy, who leads a host of the sport's biggest names to have withdrawn in controversial circumstances from next month's Rio Olympics, is bidding to win his fifth major and second Open after his victory at Hoylake in 2014.
Twelve months ago McIlroy was missing from the field in St Andrews after suffering an ankle injury while playing football but he will tee off on Thursday morning in the same group as Bubba Watson and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama.
"I'm excited to be back and to a golf course that I've never played before," the Northern Irishman, number four in the world, told reporters. "I don't really have any experience here at Troon, so it was good to get a couple of good looks at it last week, and then I just played another 18 holes this morning."
The focus is on the current 'Big Four' of McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and US Open winner Dustin Johnson.

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Royal challenge for Rory McIlroy

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