Rory McIlroy got his Open Championship off to a solid start with a round of one-under par 70.
As McIlroy walked down towards the first tee at Royal Portrush around 3pm local time on Thursday, the atmosphere was electric.
The 36-year-old is already an Open champion, but he would never have experienced anything like the support he received on Thursday.
McIlroy’s Open practice rounds got off to fairly inauspicious starts, as he drove his ball out of bounds on the first hole on Monday and Tuesday.
However, he didn’t make the same mistake in the tournament proper. The Masters champion produced moments of magic, but he played plenty of poor shots as well.
McIlroy wasn’t anywhere near his best during the first round of The Open on Thursday, but he is still very much in this tournament.
That certainly wasn’t the case after day one back in 2019, when he made an eight on the opening hole at Royal Portrush.
McIlroy admitted that winning The Open was his main priority before the 2025 season began, and that dream is still very much a possibility.
Rory McIlroy describes the fans at Royal Portrush on day one of The Open
McIlroy was cheered on all the way around Portrush during his first round on Thursday.
The galleries lifted him when he was down, and probably played a key role in him getting into the clubhouse under par.
McIlroy responded when asked to give his opinion on the support that he received from the fans at Royal Portrush on Thursday.
He said: “Yeah, absolutely incredible. Look, I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don’t want to let them down. So there’s that little bit of added pressure.
“I felt like I dealt with it really well today. Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.
“I was sort of surprised — there’s a few guys at 4-under, but I’m surprised 4-under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot 6 or 7 today. Only three back with 54 holes to go, I’m really happy with where I am.“
McIlroy was then asked what he felt like when he was making his way to the first tee.
He said: “Again, I just think it’s back to knowing what to expect. I didn’t feel like I was walking into the unknown this time around, where last time I hadn’t experienced that before. I hadn’t played an Open at home. I didn’t know how I was going to feel. I didn’t know the reaction I was going to get, where this time I had a better idea of what was going to be coming my way.“
Wayne Riley shares what Rory McIlroy told him during day one of The Open
Sky Sports commentator Wayne Riley followed McIlroy around for every single shot of his first round on Thursday.
And Riley opened up on what McIlroy told him about the support given to him by the Northern Irish fans at Royal Portrush.
Riley said: “Out on the golf course I asked Rory McIlroy how he felt, I said it’s like 50 or 60,000 people out here. They are all your relations. He said it’s incredible this. I said yeah, it really is. It’s incredible. The people are so nice out there. When we came here in 2019 they were also an amazing crowd. It doesn’t matter where we go for The Open, it attracts people from all over the world, but this is seriously special at Royal Portrush.“
Hopefully the 36-year-old manages to ride the wave of support he will undoubtedly receive on day two at Portrush.
And if McIlroy shoots any score in the 60s, he will be bang in contention at The Open heading into the weekend.
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