Irish Open 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Danny Willett made a booming return to the European Tour on Thursday after he shot a first-round 65 at the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to head into the clubhouse with a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy.

The defending Masters champion recorded just one bogey en route to shooting seven-under par at the K Club in County Kildare, Ireland, where McIlroy built a steady foundation for the rest of his tournament with a promising first round.

Golfing Weekly was full of praise for on-fire Willett, who wasn't long after making his comeback following his Masters victory in April:

Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher impressed in the morning session after each recording first-round scores of three-under, while Dublin native Paul Dunne got around the Kildare course in 70.

Read on for a breakdown of Thursday's scores in full, complete with recap and highlights of all the first-round drama. 

Position	Player	To Par	Round 1 Score
1	Danny Willett	-7	65
2	Rory McIlroy	-5	67
T3	Callum Shinkwin	-4	68
T3	Jaco van Zyl	-4	68
T5	Ross Fisher	-3	69
T5	Martin Kaymer	-3	69
T5	Soren Kjeldsen	-3	69
T8	Matthew Southgate	-2	70
T8	Nacho Elvira	-2	70
T8	Richard Bland	-2	70
T8	Paul Dunne	-2	70
T8	Richie Ramsay	-2	70
T8	Marc Warren	-2	70
T8	Niclas Fasth	-2	70
T8	James Morrison	-2	70

Visit the official European Tour website for a look at the full leaderboard.

Recap

After a month away from the sport, Willett made his return to competitive golf at the Players' Championship last weekend, but a terrific first round at the Irish Open suggests the Masters winner is more comfortable closer to home.

The Sheffield native's front nine was solid, albeit nothing spectacular with three birdies to speak of, but a rampaging record of four birdies between the 10th and 14th holes saw him run free of the field.

ESPN's Jason Sobel could hardly believe Willett's streak:

It was actually the longer-distance holes that appeared to be giving the 28-year-old hassle on the first half of the course, only managing to par the fourth, fifth and sixth holes, which averaged just under 500 yards apiece.

That being said, Willeett turned that record around after parring the 10th—the longest at the K Club (584 yards)—and capping off a sensational run with a long-range putt on 14, per the official European Tour Twitter account:

Unfortunately, that momentum couldn't be maintained, and Willett surrendered his only bogey of Thursday's outing on the par-four 17th, as did Dunne earlier in the day. However, a calming birdie on the 18th made up for the slip and restored a crucial two-shot lead.

Meanwhile, the driving distance didn't provide the same obstacle to McIlroy, who also mustered three birdies on the front nine, including one on the ninth thanks to this freakish push up the fairway: 

However, putting was another matter for the Northern Irishman, and it was on the par-three 14th that he recorded his only bogey of the afternoon before making up for that error with a timely birdie on the 18th.

McIlroy at least looks set to make the cut at the Irish Open for the first time in four years, and he told BBC Sport what this competition means to him prior to Thursday's tee-off:

"

My performances haven't been what I'd want but it's a tournament I would love to win one day.

I feel like my game is in good enough shape to do that. 

The Irish Open always was, but even more so now, one of the most important weeks of the year for me. 

I'm coming off a couple of decent weeks in the States where I felt I played better than the results suggested, and the K Club is a course I feel I can do well on.

It would be huge [to win]. Anyone that plays professional golf, they dream of winning their home open. You don't get many opportunities so it would be very special. It's one tournament that is missing from my CV.

"

Callum Shinkwin and Jaco van Zyl ended the first round tied in third spot at four-under par, while Fisher recovered from a rocky start to notch seven birdies altogether and end his day on three-under.

The Englishman took to Twitter to celebrate a promising first day, which could have ended all the more positively were it not for a double bogey on the 570-yard 16th hole:

Tied with Fisher in joint-fifth place is Kaymer and reigning Irish Open champion Soren Kjeldsen, while native talent Dunne finished up as one of eight players at two-under par.

An enticing battle is heating up between fit-and-ready Masters champion Willett and the man who has won everything but that fabled green jacket, McIlroy.