Just 12 hours after finishing runner-up at the Scottish Open to relative PGA Tour newcomer Chris Gotterup, Rory McIlroy took to the first tee at Royal Portrush for his first practice round ahead of the Open Championship.

The tournament takes place in his native Northern Ireland at a course where 16-year-old McIlroy set the course record.

“The fact that I’m here at Portrush with the green jacket, having completed that lifelong dream, I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way and enjoy the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them,” the star golfer said. “But at the same time, I want to win this golf tournament, and I feel like I’m very capable of doing that.”

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Ahead of the year’s final major tournament, McIlroy took a well-deserved rest as he, wife Erica and daughter Poppy enjoyed some time on their new home.

“We came back a few weeks ago and moved into our new home in Wentworth and have been trying to settle in. It’s amazing what two weeks of a bit of detachment can do for you,” he revealed ahead of the Scottish Open. “Sitting there being with your own thoughts for a while. Yeah, it’s been nice to have this time to reflect and also to rekindle my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the year. Obviously we have this week in Scotland and then a massive week next week in Portrush.”

After capping off the career grand slam with his win at the Masters in April, he admitted his mindset changed.

“Yeah, you know, it’s my first realistic chance to win after the Masters, and I’ve had a great season. I won at Pebble. I won [the Players Championship]. I said this, when you do something that you’ve been dreaming your whole life to do, it was a huge moment in my life, my career,” he revealed before the final round of the Scottish Open. “The I think I just needed that little bit of time. And to be back here for last couple weeks, and feel like I could actually digest all of it, I feel like I came to this tournament with renewed enthusiasm and excitement for the rest of the year.”

The last time the Open Championship was played at Royal Portrush, McIlroy failed to make the cut after firing an 8-over, 79 in the first round despite an impressive 6-under, 65 in the second round as he missed the weekend by one shot.

Irishman Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush by six shots over Tommy Fleetwood.

Rory McIlroy will be heading into the Open Championship this week hoping to put right his 2019 disaster at Royal Portush.

It’s the first time he’s returning to the iconic Northern Ireland course since collapsing under the home-love pressure, and ultimately failed to make the cut.

On the very first hole six years ago, he slumped to a dreaded quadruple-bogey, and was eventually left holding back tears after his second round exit. He said earlier this week: “The walk to the first tee and then that ovation, I was a little surprised and a little taken aback, like ‘Geez, these people really want me to win’.

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“I think that brought its own sort of pressure and more internally from myself, not really wanting to let people down. It’s just something I didn’t mentally prepare for that day or that week.”

McIlroy will be leaning on his wife Erica Stoll for her continued support heading into The Open this week, in a bid to overcome his demons. The family recently moved to a new leafy Surrey estate, and have reportedly spent about £9million renovating their new home.

Erica reportedly favours milder temperatures over the sweltering heat of their former US base. The New Yorker and her Northern Irish husband were previously residing in Jupiter, Florida with their daughter Poppy, but are now ready to make the move across the pond.

Earlier in 2024, McIlroy initiated divorce proceedings, though the couple later reconciled within the same year. “Straight after Augusta we travelled over to see the house as it was going through the finishing touches,” McIlroy revealed to The Telegraph. “It was fun to see and we could have stayed in it, but we wanted to get over to [McIlroy’s hometown] Holywood.”

Fellow professional golfer Martin Kaymer recounted an amusing exchange about Stoll’s feelings towards the climate during his Netflix Full Swing appearance. “I saw her [Stoll] at a Starbucks once, and she said, ‘I really don’t like the sun.’ I said, ‘Your state’s called the Sunshine State, right?'” he recalled.

Nevertheless, it was a different Netflix programme that became the focal point during a private moment preceding McIlroy’s Masters triumph. The 36-year-old secured a career Grand Slam at Augusta, defeating Justin Rose in a play-off to claim the coveted green jacket.

Rory McIlroy, the golfing sensation, finally ended his major drought with a stunning Masters victory, and he’s revealed an unusual preparation method. Chatting with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, McIlroy shared that he unwound before his big win by indulging in the period drama ‘Bridgerton’ alongside his wife.

“The week of the Masters, for me, I’m just trying to distract myself with doing anything,” the champion golfer confessed. “I’m trying not to watch coverage of the tournament, I’m trying not to watch anything about the golf.”

McIlroy explained his strategy to avoid sports news altogether, opting instead for books, shows, or films. “You try to just not look at the sports news. So, like, read a book, watch a show, watch a movie. So, I was watching ‘Bridgerton’ with my wife, which was her decision, but I actually got into it… It was good.”

In other news, it seems McIlroy’s move to Surrey had been on the cards for some time. J. Spaun, who McIlroy outplayed at the Players Championship, accidentally revealed Rory’s UK plans during a chat on the Fore Play podcast.

“I know he’s Northern Irish, but I asked him if he ever hangs out in London,” Spaun recounted. “Because my wife has got a really good friend that lives out there and loves going there. He said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m building a house out there.'”.