Six years after his emotional missed cut at Royal Portrush, 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.

McIlroy could not reproduce his Saturday magic to catch Scottie Scheffler, but he still achieved a level of redemption at his home Open

Rory McIlroy hopes to pull off an audacious comeback at The Open 2025 with Scottie Scheffler holding a commanding lead heading into Sunday’s fourth round at Royal Portrush. The world No 1 is four shots clear of Haotong Li,

So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.

While Rory McIlroy’s Northern Ireland homecoming didn’t have the fairytale finish of winning a second Claret Jug at Royal Portrush, the atmosphere surrounding his return was still the highlight of an unforgettable Open Championship.

Rory, spurred on by the thousands of Northern Irish fans at Royal Portrush, posted a 66 to head into Sunday six shots back of leader Scottie Scheffler.

Legendary golfer Phil Mickelson continues to defy expectations, competing in another major championship at the age of 55. The lefty shot one under par through the first round at Royal Portrush and delivered a jaw-dropping moment on the third hole.