Bunker trouble for Rory McIlroy as he double bogeys iconic hole at Royal Troon

Rory McIlroy dropped two shots on the par three eighth hole at Royal Troon during his opening round at The Open on Thursday.

The Holywood man is aiming to bounce back from his heartbreaking defeat in the US Open last month as he looks to win his first major in ten years.

McIlroy played the first hole poorly, coming up short of the green with his second and then leaving his chip 10 feet below the hole and missing his par putt, resulting in a bogey.

READ MORE: Rory McIlroy makes 'hero' claim as he gives insight into The Open tactics ahead of day 1

READ MORE: Padraig Harrington believes he can win The Open - but says he will have to "get away with it"

A par followed on the second before the 35-year-old got his first birdie on the par four third, with further pars for McIlroy on the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.

However, things went wrong for the world number two when his tee shot found the bunker on the par three eighth, famously named Postage Stamp.

McIlroy got out of the bunker on the first attempt, but didn't get enough power on his shot and the ball rolled back to where it came from. He then got too much on the next shot, meaning he had to settle for a double bogey.

Interestingly, out of the last nine Open winners, only two of them have had a double bogey throughout the week and went on to win.

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.