Rónán MacNamara in Royal Portrush
It’s marching season and Rory McIlroy is the Pied Piper at Royal Portrush. But if he is to have the bulk of the record 278,000 crowd dancing to his beat on the Dunluce Links, he faces a Masters-esque psychological battle to overcome the first tee nerves.
The 153rd Open Championship, better known as ‘Rory Mania’ where thousands upon thousands will line the fairways this week in rhythm to McIlroy’s tune to celebrate their grand slam hero.
In 2019, McIlroy’s homecoming was spoiled by a quadruple bogey 8 on the first hole and a missed cut. It was an occasion he admittedly was not ready for. The hysteria is set to be tenfold on Thursday but the Holywood man is ready for the outpouring of emotion.
“I remember the ovation I got on the first tee on Thursday and not being prepared for it or not being ready for how I was going to feel or what I was going to feel,” said the Masters champion.
“Then the golf on Thursday feels like a bit of a blur. I try to forget that part of it.
“But I remember the run on Friday. I remember I was making a charge and making a run to try to make the cut, and I hit a 6-iron into the 14th, second shot, and I remember the roar from the crowd. It was sort of getting a little dark and it was overcast, and for whatever reason, that’s the one thing I remember is that shot and that roar of the crowd, and walking up to that green and getting a standing ovation. It was really special.
“I wish I had have been here for two more days to get a bit more of that and experience it. But hopefully I can change that this week.”
Wherever McIlroy goes, more often than not he is the fans favourite, especially when playing on home soil at Irish Opens in both the north and south of the island.
But he admits that he was spooked by the ovation he received on the first tee here six years ago and that coupled with the pressure of a major proved to be a bit much for him.
“I played a couple of Irish Opens, one here, one at Portstewart, one at County Down. I think I played maybe three times in Northern Ireland as a pro.
“But then you get to an Open, it’s a major championship, everything that comes along with it, and I just think that that feeling, the walk to the first tee and then that ovation, I was still a little surprised and a little taken aback, like geez, these people really want me to win.
“I think that brought its own sort of pressure and more internally from myself and not really wanting to let people down. I guess it’s just something I didn’t mentally prepare for that day or that week. But I learned pretty quickly that one of my challenges, especially in a week like this, is controlling myself and controlling that battle.”
McIlroy won the Masters to complete the career grand slam in April. But it was a day where he won it a couple of times and lost it just as many as he fought off Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose but also beat the demons in his head-on his way to golfing immortality.
He is prepared for those demons to have another nibble this week.
“I talked about it at the Masters on that last day. The battle on that last day wasn’t with Augusta National. It wasn’t with Bryson. It wasn’t with Justin Rose. The battle that day was with myself.
“I think whenever you get put in environments like that, that’s basically what it is. It’s you trying to overcome your mind and trying to give yourself that clarity to give yourself the best chance to put together a really good performance.”
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