Rory's redemption day: McIlroy finally gets weekend home game at British Open and entertains

USA Today

4 days ago

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy stared at his card behind the 18th green and smiled the smile of a golfer who knew he'd had a day to remember but also knew he needed to squeeze a bit more out of it to make a charge at world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
But McIlroy had done his part for the home faithful. This probably was a good day to be a robber because it seemed as if all the Emerald Isle had left home and come to the 2025 Open Championship to see McIlroy play. He had given the fans who chanted his name from the first tee to the finish their money's worth – a dream start that gave hopes of a course-record score in pursuit of Scheffler, wild shots they'd never forget, a long-range bomb for eagle and hero shots galore.
'The atmosphere has been electric all day,' McIlroy said. 'Just an absolute pleasure to play in front of my home crowd, my fans.'
Six years after McIlroy found the moment of playing a home Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club to be too big, opening with an 8, shooting 79 and going on to miss the cut, McIlroy finally had his chance to play on the weekend at the Open a mere 60 miles from where he grew up. Bathed in glorious sunshine, McIlroy stood surrounded by a horseshoe of grandstands and like the character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the movie Gladiator, he could've shouted, 'Are you not entertained?'
'The loudest moment for playing competitor Matthew Jordan?' The Englishman pondered the question for a moment and said, 'All of it.'
It was Rory-palooza from the start with fans stacked five and six deep, kids watching from dad's shoulders and everyone craning their necks to see the bounce back in Rory's step.
McIlroy birdied the first and jumped out to three birdies in his first four holes, but failed to take advantage of birdie opportunities at Nos. 5 and 7. He turned in 3-under 33. Then he drove right into a spectator walkway at No. 11 and seemingly drew a decent lie. But when he whacked at it, a second ball that had been embedded below popped out.
'That is the most weird, ridiculous thing I've ever seen,' McIlroy said. 'Then my ball came out really weird and spinny. Yeah, just so strange.'
His ball rested short of the green and a poor chip resulted in his lone bogey of the day. About the same time, Scheffler sank an eagle and it looked as if McIlroy's chances of winning on home soil were as good as dead. But he bounced back as only McIlroy can, sinking a 56-foot eagle putt at the par-5 12th and sent the crowd into a frenzy again.
'Well, that was cool,' he said to some members of the media as he exited the green.
After the round, he expounded on the crowd's response after his eagle putt had just enough steam to drop, saying, 'this could be one of the coolest moments I've ever had on the golf course. The roar when this ball was in was insane. It was insane all day, but the noise after that putt went in was incredible.'
McIlroy had one more trick up his sleeve at 15, escaping the left rough and hoisting an approach that hit off the flagstick and stopped stone dead for an easy birdie. It added up to a 5-under 66 but still left him six shots back of Scheffler, who leads by four. But that is a task for Sunday; this day was a McIlroy love-fest and he embraced it all, slapping hands with a youngster who painted Rory in his hair and feeling the adulation from a country that is proud that its native son completed the career Grand Slam.
'I'm glad he's playing well for his home country,' said defending Open champion Xander Schauffele. 'It's sort of what golf needs, and entertainment's high. I was on 17 tee when I heard whatever happened on 12. I assumed it was an eagle, some sort of hole-out. I was pretty far away, and it was very loud, and he got a standing ovation walking down 13. Looks like he's enjoying it. Looks like the fans are enjoying it, which is great for this event.'
And while McIlroy knows that spotting world No. 1 a six-shot lead feels 'inevitable,' he come from behind to beat him before and he hasn't given up hope just yet.
Now, that would make all the Rory supporters properly entertained.