Rory McIlroy missed the cut when The Open was last played at Royal Portrush in 2019; McIlroy plays in Northern Ireland for the first time since completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters; Can McIlroy enjoy more major success?

“I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don’t want to let them down so there’s that little bit of added pressure,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I dealt with it really well today. I certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The moment that surprised Rory McIlroy the most when he played the 2019 Britidh Open at Royal Portrush—the first Open held in his home country of Northern Ireland since 1951—was the ovation on the first tee.

The first time that Royal Portrush hosted the Open Championship since 1951, there was heaps of pressure on McIlroy, the biggest sporting star from Northern Ireland since George Best played for Manchester United in the 1960s and 70s, to win. He shot a 79 on Thursday.

Rory McIlroy was already one of the best golfers of all time. His win at the Masters on Sunday gave him the career Grand Slam, cementing that legacy. He's one of only six male golfers to do that.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, celebrates winning in a playoff against Justin Rose, of England, after the final round the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP ...

McIlroy has faced grand slam talk before, of course. Since he won the Open in 2014, the Masters has become his holy grail. But with it has come mounting pressure, expectation and heartache.

IT was the golfing duel that stopped the nation. Shortly after midnight on April 14, Britain was gripped by the sight of two of its own scrapping for The Masters’ Green Jacket at Augusta. After a