HOYLAKE, England -- Rory McIlroy had everything go his way Thursday in the British Open. Tony Oliva Jersey . A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool. He made half his six birdies on the par 5s and kept bogeys off his card. And on the day Tiger Woods made a promising return, McIlroy took the lead with a 6-under 66, his best score in nearly two years at a major. Now if he can only find a way to get to the weekend. McIlroy either set himself up for a good run at the claret jug or another dose of Friday failures. In what already has been an unusual year for golf, no trend is more mysterious than Boy Wonder going from awesome to awful overnight. Six times in his last eight tournaments, he has had a nine-hole score of 40 or higher on Friday that has taken him out of the mix. "Its not like Ive shot good scores in first rounds and havent backed them up before," McIlroy said. "Im used to doing that. I just havent done it recently. Well see what tomorrow brings and what weather it is and try and handle it as best I can. "Hopefully," he said, "its just one of those things and Im able to turn it around tomorrow." Woods also would like to keep moving in the right direction. He got off to a troubling start with two quick bogeys, nearly made another one on the fourth hole, and then looked like a 14-time major champion when he ran off five birdies in six holes toward the end of his round for a 69. Not bad for guy who had back surgery March 31, who started taking full swings only a month ago and who had not played in a major in 11 months. "It felt good to be back out there competing again," Woods said. Such pristine weather -- how long it lasts is the big unknown -- gave just about everyone a chance to score. Matteo Manassero broke par in The Open for the first time since he was a 16-year-old amateur. He began his round by hitting into a pot bunker, blasting out to the fairway and holing out from 160 yards for birdie. He made five birdies on the back nine, three on the par 5s. That made him low Italian -- barely. Francesco Molinari and Edoardo Molinari have games that are nothing alike, though they shot the same score. They were in a large group at 68 along with Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry and Adam Scott. Scott stands out as the No. 1 player in the world, and because he was the only player in the top 10 who played in the afternoon when the wind made Hoylake tougher. Scott went out in 31 and was slowed only by two bogeys on the back nine. Even in tame conditions, the British Open can mete out punishment -- to players, to spectators and even a golf club. Phil Mickelson was trying to get back to even par when he hooked his approach to the 18th beyond the out-of-bounds stakes down the right side of the hole and had to scramble for a bogey and a 74. He hasnt broken par at a major since winning at Muirfield last summer. That still doesnt top the bad day of Ernie Els. His opening tee shot hit a spectator in the face, and the sight of so much blood shook the Big Easy. When he got to the green, he missed a 1-foot putt, and then carelessly tried to back-hand the next one into the hole and missed that one. The triple bogey sent him to a 79. Henrik Stenson knocked a 30-foot birdie putt off the 12th green and made double bogey, and then took two hacks out of the shin-high grass left of the 17th fairway. Walking to his next shot, he snapped his gap wedge over his thigh like a baseball player -- Bo Jackson comes to mind -- who had just struck out with the bases loaded. Through all this activity, two names came to the forefront -- McIlroy and Woods, both trying to restore their games from different circumstances. McIlroys only victory this year was at the BMW PGA Championship, where he started his week by breaking off his engagement with Caroline Wozniacki. He could have had more chances to win except for that 40 on the front nine at Quail Hollow, the 42 on the front nine at The Players Championship and the 43 on the back nine at the Memorial. He met with Jack Nicklaus, and the topic of his freaky Fridays came up. "I didnt mention it to him," McIlroy said. "He mentioned it to me -- How the hell can you shoot 63 and then 78? No, I think what we talked about was just holding a round together. And he was never afraid to make a change in the middle of the round ... to get it back on track." The trick for McIlroy is to not get derailed in the second round. For the year, he is 55-under par in the first round and 15-over par in the second round. Woods gave a light fist pump when he rolled in a 30-foot putt from just off the green on No. 11. He then hit a beautiful approach to 6 feet for birdie on the 12th. That put him under par in a tournament for the first time since March 9, the final round of Doral. OK, the sample size is small -- that was the last tournament he played until returning to Congressional three weeks ago after back surgery. Even so, he was playing with such rhythm late in his round that he might have wanted to keep going. That makes Friday a big day for Woods, too. Custom Minnesota Twins Jerseys .35 million. The right-hander had agreed last February to a deal that pays him $3.775 million this year and allows him to earn an additional $225,000 in bonuses based on games finished. Jake Odorizzi Jersey . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback. http://www.twinsrookiestore.com/Twins-Anibal-Sanchez-Kids-Jersey/ . Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - When the Jacksonville Jaguars introduced starter Toby Gerhart before last weeks game, Gerhart and his fellow running backs ran onto the field together.They called it a sign of unity.It also served as a strong visual depicting what the Jaguars backfield has become.Its running back by committee in Jacksonville, with Gerhart, Denard Robinson, Jordan Todman and rookie Storm Johnson all sharing carries.The Jaguars (0-5) rank 31st in the league in rushing, averaging 67 yards a game, so the decision to get more guys involved was an obvious one.Johnson could be the wild card in the rotation. A seventh-round draft pick from UCF, Johnson was inactive the first three weeks because of ankle injury, and although he was active Week 4 at San Diego, he didnt play. He made his NFL debut Sunday against Pittsburgh, running four times for a team-high 27 yards.It wasnt a dazzling performance, but Johnsons 20-yard run in the third quarter matched the teams longest of the season (quarterback Blake Bortles) and was the longest for any Jaguars running back.Its not surprising to me, coach Gus Bradley said. I mentioned two weeks ago he had a good practice. Last week he had a good week, and its that trust and hes building trust. For him to go in there and perform and really capture his opportunity was pretty cool to see. ... The runs he had were very impressive.Johnson re-injured his ankle late in the game, but should be fine for Sundays game at Tennessee (1-4).Still in rebuilding mode, the Jaguars might start Johnson at some point. Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell have gone with several youngsters this season, especially on offence.Bortles, centre Luke Bowanko, right guard Brandon Linder, tight end Nic Jacobs and receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns all started in the 17-9 loss to the Steelers. Rookie linebacker Telvin Smith also got the nod, giving the team seven rookies in the starting lineup.By comparison, fellow AFC South teams Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee started one each.Jacksonville also has fiive second-year players in its starting lineup, making the Jaguars one of the leagues youngest and least experienced teams. Jason Castro Jersey. Caldwell and Bradley believe that if the competition is close between two players, its usually best to go with the younger guy, especially if they think hes got more upside.Well, its a challenge that weve said before that we accept, Bradley said. Somewhere down the line these guys cant be rookies anymore, I believe. I think somewhere theyve played enough games where they say, All right, lets go. I dont want to talk about that anymore. We understand that.Gerhart and the other running backs understand the situation.Although Jacksonville gave Gerhart a three-year, $10 million contract in free agency to be the No. 1 back, the former Minnesota Vikings backup knew he would be sharing the load this season.Injuries have made it even more necessary.Gerhart sprained his right ankle in the season opener against Philadelphia when he was horse-collar tackled from behind. He has been hobbled since. And it seemingly got worse Sunday when he sprained his right foot. He returned to the game, but finished with a season-low four carries for 9 yards, and played just 10 snaps.I know that he felt really good going into the game and then early he had an issue, Bradley said.Regardless of what happens to the starting spot, the running backs insist it wont matter because theyre so close. That was evident when they took the field together Sunday.Were just a tight group and we just said, Why not? Gerhart said.Todman said it carried over from last year, when former Jaguars standout Maurice Jones-Drew led the group and got everyone hanging out together. They even nicknamed themselves the wolf pack.They didnt get introduced as a group in 2013, but decided to do it Sunday a€” fitting given the state of the position.It was a group decision, Todman said. Why not? Lets do it. 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