Forennews » Off the tee, I am missing one righ

MAYNOOTH, Ireland -- Saying hes "feeling a bit lost" in a difficult year, Rory McIlroy shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday in the Irish Open to fall eight strokes behind first-round leader Oscar Floren. The second-ranked McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, had four bogeys and two birdies in wet and overcast conditions at Carton House on the outskirts of Dublin. McIlroy hit only five of 14 fairways and took 34 putts. "At the moment, no aspects of my game are strong and Im just feeling a bit lost at the moment," he said. "It feels good on the range and I can hit all the shots, but when I get out on the course it really does not seem to be there. "Off the tee, I am missing one right and then missing one left and its just not going where I want it. It gets you in two minds every time you are playing a tee shot. The game is just not coming easy to me at the moment and while I was struggling at this point last year, I was able to turn the corner in the middle of the summer and have a great end to my season. I dont know whether its a matter of trying to play my way out of it or just keep grinding away on the range or whatever." Floren, from Sweden, had a 6-under 66. He drove the green on the par-4 13th and holed a 20-foot eagle putt. "I just came out and hit everything really, really pure," Floren said. American Peter Uihlein was a stroke back along with Dutchman Joost Luiten, , Frances Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Northern Irelands Michael Hoey and Irelands Shane Lowry. Uihlein, the Madeira Islands Open winner last month, is making his 10th European Tour start of the year. The former Oklahoma State star won the 2010 U.S. Amateur. Lowry, the 2009 winner at County Louth as an amateur, had six birdies and a bogey played alongside McIlroy. "I was just chomping at the bit to get out there this morning and I was just trying to play me way into the tournament nicely so Im really pleased with a 67," he said. Hoey said wife Barbara had their first child induced last week so he could compete in the event. "Its great being a father and already its added a new perspective to my life," said Hoey, a four-time European Tour winner. Wales Jerseys . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. Blank Jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/joe-ledle...FA-EURO-jersey/. Dancevic won his singles match on Friday, defeating Go Soeda 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1, to even the best-of-five series at a game apiece. World No. 18 Kei Nishikori defeated Peter Polansky in the opening match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Aaron Ramsey Jersey . "I met her, I think, a week ago. We went to a Norwood hockey store and picked her out some gear. Joe Allen Jersey . According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. DOHA, Qatar -- Venus Williams eased past Croatian qualifier Petra Martic 6-2, 6-2 to line up a second-round match with former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the Qatar Open on Monday. Williams was broken only once, when she led Martic 4-0. She has an up and down record so far this season, reaching the final in Auckland and losing in the first round at the Australian Open. Williams has won only one of her three matches against Kvitova, the third seed who has a first-round bye, but all three have gone the distance. Also, Chinas Peng Shuai beat 2006 champion Nadia Petrova 7-6 (5), 7-5 to even their matchups at 4-4. Petrova, who had to qualify after an injury-plagued 2013 dropped her singles ranking to 100, almost pulled off the win despite nine double faults. Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria defeated Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-3 for the first time in four matches, while Annika Beck beat Mona Barthel in their all-German match 7-6 (5), 6-2 for the first time in three matches.dddddddddddd Taiwanese qualifier Hsieh Su-wei won for the first time against Italys Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3, and Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska beat American Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-1. Stephens, whod beaten Cetkovska at the last two Wimbledons, rallied to level at 5-5, but could win only one more game as she lost her serve five times. The field features seven of the top 10, led by Australian Open champ Li Na who, regardless of her result this week, will move to a career-best No. 2 ranking next week, above Victoria Azarenka, the two-time reigning Doha champ who was absent with a foot injury. ' ' '