At this time six years ago, Rory McIlroy was already on his way home, heartbroken about missing the cut in his first “home” British Open.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy addresses the crowd's presence after Round One of The 2025 Open Championship

It’s as though somehow Portrush itself knew that six years ago it was all a little too much for Rory McIlroy. This seaside town was alive and ready to explode with the Open Championship, yet all week long there has been a nervous sense of, ‘We want Rory to win, but…”

Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.

Rory McIlroy is racing around Royal Portrush again. A smart choice on the 2nd hole kept him in the hunt at the Open while you were sleeping.

The hometown hero is back at Royal Portrush, but Rory McIlroy was poor off the tee again as the Open Championship rolls on.

The first round of the 2025 Open Championship saw Royal Portrush giving the 156-player field all it could handle as ever-changing weather conditions allowed the Northern Ireland course to show off its strength against the best players in the world.

Rory McIlroy came close to finishing among the leaders in the first round of the Open, but the back nine proved it can be a tough challenge for anyone.

HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland — Two decades before Rory McIlroy’s career-defining triumph, when he finally conquered his Masters demons with an emotional rollercoaster of a win at Augusta National, he did, in fact, already own a green jacket.

What time does Rory McIlroy tee off at The Open? Start times, how to watch, prize money and latest odds - Masters champion targeting second career Claret Jug on home turf in Northern Ireland