Rory McIlroy's true colours clear for rival left in no doubt by his behaviour at The Open
Matt Fitzpatrick heaped praise on Rory McIlroy 's character as the duo completed their Open Championship campaigns alongside each other. Both golfers delivered strong showings at Royal Portrush but ultimately fell short against Scottie Scheffler.
The world No. 1 claimed his fourth career major and maiden Claret Jug on Sunday. Fitzpatrick secured his best-ever Open finish with a share of fourth place on -11 alongside Li Haotong.
McIlroy, meanwhile, ended up in a tie for seventh on -10 alongside Xander Schauffele and Robert MacIntyre. Despite the Northern Irishman being unable to triumph on home soil, that didn't prevent thousands of devoted supporters from vocally backing the 36-year-old.
Chants of his name rang out across the course and through television sets for viewers at home as Fitzpatrick, who witnessed McIlroy being embraced with affection, offered further acclaim for the Masters champion.
"Yeah, it was good," the 30-year-old said when asked about the atmosphere on the final day of The Open. "I've heard enough 'Rorys' to last me a lifetime. I love playing with Rory. He's fantastic.
"He's such a great guy, and in an environment like that where he's obviously trying arguably more than everyone else to win, to just have the class that he has is awesome." Speaking after the final round, McIlroy confessed that he battled to control his feelings after seeing the masses of supporters cheering him on.
He said: "I tried as best as I could to keep my emotions in check, especially walking up the last there and that reception. Yeah, look, it's been an awesome week.
"I've gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a Claret Jug, and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us. It's been an amazing week.
"I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this, I get to do this in front of this crowd." With The Open making its second appearance at Portrush in recent memory, McIlroy remains optimistic that the venue could continue to feature regularly on the major championship calendar in future years.
"Honestly, I think Portrush has quickly turned into one of the best two or three venues that The Open goes to," he added. "Talk to every player this week, and they won't say one single bad thing about the golf course.
"Then I just think the way it sets up, from a logistical standpoint, I think the R&A have worked so well with the local government to make sure everything runs smoothly. Yeah, I hope so.
"It's only been six years since 2019. I'm not sure Portrush is going to have The Open every six years, that would be nice, but I would obviously love it to keep coming back."
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