E-Paper
I am going to embrace everything: Rory McIlroy
This year will be McIlroy’s 15th appearance in the oldest individual sporting championship in the world
Portrush: Rory McIlroy is approaching the second Open Championship in his native Northern Ireland with a completely different perspective than when he was here at Royal Portrush in 2019.
When the Open returned to Portrush for the first time after a gap of 68 years, the spotlight was intense on McIlroy, who grew up some 100 kilometers to the south in Holywood and is considered one of the greatest sporting icons of his country.
McIlroy said he tried to cocoon himself from everything happening around him six years ago. That did not help him on the golf course as he missed the cut after rounds of 79 and 65.
Now 36 and wiser, the five-time major champion has a new mantra this week – embrace the adulation.
“I think in 2019, I probably tried to isolate, and I think it’s better for everyone if I embrace it,” said the man who became only the sixth player in professional golf to complete a grand slam by winning the Masters earlier this year.
“I think it’s better for me. 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 who is seeing you for the first time in a few years. It just makes for a better interaction, and I am not trying to hide away from it.
“I am going to embrace everything that’s going to come my way this week and not try to shy away from it. I think that will make for a better experience for everyone involved.”
Thinking back on the 2019 Open, McIlroy reminisced that he felt surprised how much the fans wanted him to win the championship and how it changed his mindset that week.
“I played a couple of Irish Opens in Northern Ireland and won here. But then you get to an Open, it’s a major championship, everything that comes along with it, and I just think that walking to the first tee and hearing that ovation, I was a little taken aback.
“I thought ‘Geez, these people really want me to win’. I think that brought its own sort of pressure. More internally from myself, wanting not to let people down. I guess it’s just something I didn’t mentally prepare for that day or that week. But I learned pretty quickly that one of my challenges, especially in a week like this, is controlling myself and controlling that battle.”
After a brief period of lull following his Masters triumph, McIlroy seems to be back at his best, having finished tied second last week at the Genesis Scottish Open. And a rare appearance in his home country, and on a course where he set the course record of 61 as a 16-year-old playing the North of Ireland Championship, could fuel that fire further.
“I’m certainly encouraged by how I’ve played the last two starts (tied sixth at Travelers before the Scottish), especially last week in Scotland. I think the two weeks off after the Travelers just to reset, to get over here and a bit of a change of scenery has been really nice,” said McIlroy.
“When I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was the tournament that I probably circled… even more so than the Masters for different reasons. It’s lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that’s happened this year.
“I’m excited with where my game is. I felt like I showed some really good signs last week. I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
This year will be McIlroy’s 15th appearance in the oldest individual sporting championship in the world. He made his debut as an amateur in 2007 and finished tied 42nd. Apart from his win in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, he has six other top 10s.
With a sold-out crowd of 278,000 fans this year, it will be the second most attended edition of the tournament.
