Rory McIlroy breaks his silence on social media after failing to win The Open at Royal Portrush

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Rory McIlroy enjoyed a great week back home at Royal Portrush but failed to win The Open as Scottie Scheffler triumphed once again.

McIlroy finished T7 for the week at 10-under par and had some big moments through the four days, including a stunning putt for eagle on day three that had everyone cheering.

The Masters champion was desperate to win on home soil and but for a few errant shots and Scheffler’s brilliance, he might have done just that.

Still, McIlroy enjoyed his week back in his homeland.

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The crowds loved him all week and while McIlroy has looked a distant figure on some PGA Tour events this season, there was none of that this time around in Northern Ireland.

And now, McIlroy has broken his silence on social media by sending a message to those fans.

Rory McIlroy sends message to Royal Portrush fans after The Open

While it wasn’t to be for McIlroy, it was still a hugely successful homecoming and one which he will surely treasure forever.

The crowds followed him all week, right until his last putt when he tapped in for par alongside Matt Fitzpatrick to round off his tournament.

Now, over on Instagram, McIlroy has finally posted some thoughts and he’s paid tribute to the fans and reception he received.

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Why Matt Fitzpatrick expected more from the Royal Portrush crowd

There was plenty of crowd reaction and noise to McIlroy throughout the four days at Royal Portrush.

In the end, the crowds gathered in their thousands to see his final putt of the tournament and McIlroy got a nice reception on the 18th.

However, Matt Fitzpatrick admitted he expected more for McIlroy, as he expressed his surprise at just how quiet the applause was.

“I didn’t, no. He said he was going to. I’m pretty sure he was probably pretty intent on marking, although he didn’t get as much applause as I thought he would. I thought they were a little low on that at the end there,” Fitzpatrick admitted.

Still, any golfer in the world would take what McIlroy was given this week.

One day, we might just see Rory win in Northern Ireland too, at which point the roof – albeit an imaginary one – would come right off.