Six years after his emotional missed cut at Royal Portrush, McIlroy stuck around for four days of heavy praise from the hometown crowd, which showered McIlroy all the way through his 10-under performance and T-7 finish.

Lord Byron, who won a record 11 tournaments in a single season, famously gave up golf once he’d made enough money to buy the North Texas ranch he’d always wanted. Nelson had many fine qualities as a golfer, but quality of life remained his ultimate goal. Couldn’t help thinking of Byron last week while listening to Scheffler.

In post-round interviews, especially during bigger tournaments, you'll often hear tour pros say they plan to go back to their hotels or rental homes and get their minds off golf. For some that may mean playing with the kids,

McIlroy capped the Grand Slam in April, and called this “an awesome week" after tying for seventh place at Portrush.

Rory McIlroy climbed the leaderboard Saturday at the 2025 Open Championship thanks in large part to an electric eagle putt on the par-five 12th.

Viewed from the fairway, Rory McIlroy's eagle on the 12th hole Saturday was captivating theater. It seemed too slow for the longest time as it trickled to the ridge just a few feet from the hole, but it hit the downslope at the perfect speed.

So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.

Rory McIlroy stared at his card behind the 18th green and smiled the smile of a golfer who knew he’d had a day to remember at the British Open.

The father's voice cut through the noise along the rope line at the fourth hole, pleading with strangers to let his young son glimpse the man they'd all come to see. For four days, similar requests had been met with shoulder shrugs and territorial shuffling,

The Northern Ireland native picked up a ball from the thick rough, held it out in front of him and burst out laughing. While hitting a shot, he unearthed another ball.