Rory McIlroy said his first round at the Irish Open at Doonbeg on Thursday may have been the longest of his career as he ended a wind-ravaged day one sitting four shots behind leader Joaquin Niemann. McIlroy's opening one-under-par 69 took in excess of six hours.

The world number two posted birdies at the second and fourth holes, double-bogeyed the 13th, but then picked up a shot at the 15th. He is aiming to defend the title he won at the K Club last year and secure a third Irish Open crown.

"I can't recall a round of golf that has taken that long before," McIlroy told BBC Sport NI. "It was tough conditions, very windy... I'm only four shots behind and not in a bad spot going into the next three days."

A run of four consecutive birdies between the 14th and 17th helped Chilean Niemann assume his position at the top of the leaderboard. The LIV golfer had six birdies in total, with just a single dropped shot, to hold a two-shot lead over a group of five players, including Ireland's Shane Lowry and South African Shaun Norris.