Rory McIlroy grateful for Portrush return, hopeful for at least one more Open there

Rory McIlroy’s initial takeaway from this 153rd Open?

The emotions, McIlroy said, were “a lot more positive than they were six years ago.”

Back in 2019 at Royal Portrush, not far from McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood, Northern Ireland, McIlroy piped his first tee ball out of bounds, made quadruple bogey and eventually opened in 79. Despite a 65 the next day, McIlroy would miss the cut.

This time, McIlroy stuck around for four days of heavy praise from the hometown crowd, which showered McIlroy all the way through his 10-under performance and T-7 finish, his 33rd career major top-10, eight in The Open.

“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,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy called his eagle on the par-5 12th hole on Saturday “one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had on a golf course.” Sunday’s walk up the 18th hole was equally cool, as McIlroy fought to keep the tears from flowing.

“I think there’s a lot of gratitude,” McIlroy said, “and yeah, a lot of pride. A lot of pride that I am from these shores, and in part with the way I’ve played and advocated for this little country, The Open has returned here, and it’s been an amazing venue. Hopefully the R&A keep coming back.”

As of now, Portrush does not have a return date to host the game’s oldest major championship. Only the next two years, however, are spoken for.

McIlroy, at age 36, hopes that he’ll get to play at least one more Open here in his lifetime.

“Probably one while I’m still competitive and another one while I’m more gray than I already am,” McIlroy said, before later adding: “Honestly, I think Portrush has quickly turned into one of the best two or three venues that The Open goes to. 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...

“It’s only been six years since 2019. I’m not sure Portrush is going to have The Open every six years, but that would be nice.”