Rory McIlroy returned to Royal Portrush with memories of heartbreak still fresh and expectations running high. And though his British Open campaign opened with a familiar misstep — a missed 3-foot par putt on the very first hole — the 35-year-old steadied himself and delivered a respectable 1-under-par 70 to stay firmly in contention.
It wasn’t the dramatic unraveling of 2019, when an out-of-bounds tee shot led to a quadruple bogey on the first hole and, eventually, a missed cut in front of home fans. But Thursday’s opening still raised eyebrows and a few groans from the gallery packed around the green, many of whom had come to see their local hero exorcise those ghosts.
A Rocky Round, But No Collapse
“It wasn’t perfect,” McIlroy admitted. “But I dealt with it better than six years ago.”
Despite hitting just two fairways all round — at the 8th and 9th holes — McIlroy fought hard, often scrambling out of thick rough or fairway bunkers. He admitted the conditions were challenging, though not as harsh as anticipated.
“It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time,” he said. “So to shoot under par was a good effort.”
McIlroy had surged to 3-under through 10 holes before a gusty stretch of three bogeys in four holes nearly derailed his momentum. But he responded like a contender: a clutch birdie at 17 after a fine approach from the rough, and a solid par to close the round.
Carried by the Crowd
McIlroy, now a member of golf’s exclusive career Grand Slam club, acknowledged the powerful pull of playing at home — both a boost and a burden.
“I feel the support of an entire country out there,” he said. “But at the same time, you don’t want to let them down. So there’s that little bit of added pressure.”
In 2019, that pressure overwhelmed him. He said he was unprepared for the emotions of playing an Open on Northern Irish soil. This time, though, he knew what to expect — and managed it.
“There was a little more maturity in how I approached today,” McIlroy noted. “This time I had a better idea of what was going to be coming my way.”
Still in the Hunt
In 2019, McIlroy began his second round 13 shots off the lead. He clawed back with a sensational 65, but the damage was done.
Six years later, the story is very different. He’s just three shots behind the leaders after Round 1 — well within reach of the claret jug he last held in 2014.
“I’m surprised 4 under is leading,” McIlroy said. “I thought someone might have gone out there and shot 6 or 7 (under) today. Only three back with 54 holes to go. I’m really happy with where I am.”
And so are the fans, who will once again fill the fairways of Portrush on Friday, still believing this could be Rory’s week.