Rory McIlroy ready to 'control that battle' of playing a hometown major at Royal Portrush

USA Today

a day ago

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – During Rory McIlroy's press conference on Tuesday ahead of the 2025 British Open, one of his inquisitors started a question by noting that the pressure is off now that the Northern Irishman has joined golf's exclusive club of six who have completed the career Grand Slam. McIlroy interrupted before the full question could even be asked, saying, 'Is it? Is the pressure off?'
McIlroy made history at the Masters in April but it didn't take long at all before talk shifted to could he win the single-season Grand Slam. That is the fate of McIlroy and all the greats in sport, who are constantly being asked to top their latest feat with an even greater one. This week, McIlroy will attempt to win a major on home soil at the course where he once shot a record 61.
Six years ago, McIlroy faced a similar challenge and he turned into the proverbial deer in headlights on the first tee. McIlroy had played in front of the home faithful at the Irish Open at Portrush, nearby Port Stewart and Royal County Down, but he had never received an ovation so grand as the one that showered down on him as he made the walk to the first tee at the 2019 Open.
'I was still a little surprised and a little taken aback, like geez, these people really want me to win,' he recalled. 'I think that brought its own sort of pressure and more internally from myself and not really wanting 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.'
McIlroy hit his opening tee shot out of bounds, leading to a quadruple-bogey 8, and never recovered. He shot 79, called the round a blur and said, 'I try to forget that part of it.'
But he does have fonder memories of the second round when the fans tried to will him to make the cut. He hit a 6-iron for his second shot at 14th hole and the roar of approval has stuck with him all these years later.
'It was sort of getting a little dark and it was overcast, and for whatever reason, that's the one thing I remember is that shot and that roar of the crowd, and walking up to that green and getting a standing ovation,' said McIlroy, who shot 65 but still missed the cut by a stroke. 'It was really special.'
McIlroy is 36 now, a father, and he's recently moved his base to London. He fell into something of a Masters hangover and has been a non-factor at the last two majors. McIlroy has tried his best to shrug it off; he knows it is only natural.
'I've done something that I've told everyone that I wanted to do,' he explained, 'but then it's like I still feel like I have a lot more to give.'
And achieve. He knows this year already is a success no matter the result but this is the championship that he circled at the start of the year.
'If I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home,' he said, 'then I don't know what can motivate me.'
McIlroy finished tied for second at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday and said he did everything he had hoped to do that week except leave with the trophy. He was the first player on the course at Royal Portrush on Monday morning before play was suspended for inclement weather.
As he seeks a second Claret Jug and sixth career major, the 2014 Champion Golfer of the Year faces the same questions from six years earlier about winning at a course just 60 miles north of where he grew up. But this time McIlroy may be better prepared for the internal pressure placed on his shoulders. The Masters was the ultimate pressure-cooker for him, a battle with himself, and one he ultimately conquered. As he prepares to do battle with himself once again, he said he will try to treat this Open differently. Last time, he made a conscious decision to isolate himself from all the people that have known him and his pursuit of greatness in golf and wanted some moment of recognition with him.
'I think it's better for everyone if I embrace it. I think it's better for me because I can – 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,' he said. 'It just makes for a better interaction and not trying to hide away from it.
"I think it's more of an embrace 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.'