McIlroy hopes to emulate Seve

Rory McIlroy could pay his own fitting tribute to Seve Ballesteros by becoming the first 22-year-old since the Spainard to win the Open Championship.

It would be unwise to draw too many comparisons between Ballesteros - the charismatic Spaniard who won 87 tournaments around the world during his career - and a youngster still in the early stages of his career, but some similarities do exist.
Ballesteros burst into the limelight in the 1976 Open at Birkdale as a 19-year-old, sharing second place with Jack Nicklaus behind Johnny Miller and then winning his first major title at Lytham three years later.
McIlroy came to the wider public's attention at St Andrews 12 months ago, shooting a record-equalling 63 in the first round, a nightmare 80 in the second round and went on to finish third.
The former amateur star did not have to wait three years for his first major title however, storming to an eight-shot victory in the US Open at Congressional last month, instantly banishing memories of a last-round collapse in the US Masters in April.
"I think the thing about Rory is that he plays golf with a real flair and a real charisma, and I think fans are drawn to that," four-time major winner Phil Mickelson admitted.
"He plays it with this youthful exuberance and it's fun to watch and see somebody play golf like that and really enjoy it. It's not just how he won with his great play, but also the way he interacts with people."
Since Congressional the hype surrounding McIlroy has been enormous, especially with the injured Tiger Woods not on the scene to divert some of the attention.
Whether he can cope with the "madness" expected this week by his manager remains to be seen, but for now he is certainly saying all the right things.
"First and foremost, I'm very happy to be back at an Open," McIlroy said. "It's obviously a tournament that we look forward to every year.
"The first 10 days after winning the US Open it was a bit hectic trying to see everyone and going here, there and everywhere, but the last 10 days has been good. I've got back into my routine, been practising a lot.
"It was nice to relax and sort of take it all in after the US Open, but I knew that the time for reflection wasn't really at this point of the season, it's at the end. I've got to forget about what happened three weeks ago and just come in here and try to win another golf tournament."
As with last year, the weather could have a major part to play in McIlroy's chances - and those of the other 155 players in the field - with Tuesday's strong winds highlighting the difficulties which exist.
Mickelson and world number one Luke Donald both revealed they had been unable to reach the green on the 243-yard par-three 11th, despite hitting driver, while many players could not reach the fairway on the par-five seventh.
However, Mickelson was also quick to point out that organisers the R&A have learnt from the mistakes of 2003, when overly penal rough and the severely undulating fairways sent scores and player complaints soaring.
"In 2003 the set-up did this course no justice. It received a lot of complaints, and rightfully so," Mickelson said. "But this week I think there will be a lot of praise for the golf course. I think it's set up very fair and fun for this test of golf.