The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush for the third time, and it’s a place that holds mixed memories for Rory McIlroy.
Last time The Open was played here in 2019, McIlroy missed the cut after a quadruple bogey on the first, while Irishman Shane Lowry won his first major.
His home country course has not always been a place of anguish for McIlroy. He grew up less than an hour away from Royal Portrush and set an incredible record at only 16 years of age.
Rory McIlroy set the Royal Portrush course record at 16 years old
A young McIlroy shot a record-breaking 61 at Royal Portrush in 2005, putting him on the map.
The 2025 Masters champion shot the score during the North of Ireland Championship as an amateur, and the course was played on a championship setup. McIlroy recorded nine birdies and an eagle on the day.
It remains one of the most iconic rounds in amateur golf history.
Afterwards, McIlroy said, “It’s unbelievable. After it came off, everyone was congratulating me and saying, ‘What a score’, but I was still lying in my bed last night thinking about it.
“61 around this place is unbelievable. To shoot 61 anywhere is great, but to shoot it around Royal Portrush is even better.”
Rory McIlroy looks to bury the ghosts of his past at Royal Portrush
In the week’s build-up to The Open, McIlroy admitted he wasn’t prepared for the home support of the Northern Irish crowd at the 2019 championship.
He said, “I remember the ovation I got on the first tee on Thursday and not being prepared for it, or not being ready for how I was going to feel or what I was going to feel. Then the golf on Thursday feels like a bit of a blur. I try to forget that part of it.”
McIlroy wanted to hide when he returned to Europe to escape the pressures of the PGA Tour. But he said he feels ready for it this time around, and wants to soak it in.
He continued, “It’s nice to be able to accept adulation, even though I struggle with it at times.
“But it’s also nice for the person that is seeing you for the first time in a few years. It just makes for a better interaction and not trying to hide away from it.
“I think it’s more of an embrace of everything that’s going to come my way this week and not try to shy away from it or hide away from it, and I think that’ll make for a better experience for everyone involved.”
McIlroy’s 2019 Open hopes were shattered by nerves. By soaking in the atmosphere this time around, and accepting the support of the Royal Portrush fans, he may be able to turn back the clock to 2005 and take what would be a famous win at home.