Rory McIlroy is bracing up to the unique challenge of competing for The Open Championship on home soil at Royal Portrush, a venue that tells part of his personal and professional story.

Six years after his heartbreaking missed cut at the 2019 Open at Portrush, McIlroy returns as a five-time major champion, fresh off completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta in April.

The Northern Irishman talked with the BBC, where he spoke about his chances of winning The Open this time around, “It would be amazing. I think it would be just as emotional, if not more emotional than Augusta, and everyone saw the mess I was after that.” 

McIlroy’s relationship with Portrush is storied. As a teenager, he set the course record with a remarkable 61, but in 2019, the weight of expectation and a disastrous opening hole derailed his hopes.

“The ovation I got on the 1st 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,” he recalled. “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.”

Now, McIlroy feels better equipped to handle the scrutiny and expectation. “I didn’t have the week I wanted in 2019. I’m a better player, manage my game better, and even if I have an off day, it’s not going to be a 79 like it was on the first day in 2019,” he said.

The Open at Portrush is more than a tournament for McIlroy – it’s a chance at redemption and an opportunity to deliver for the fans and community that have supported him since childhood.

He described his Master’s win back in April as climbing Mount Everest, adding that The Open was his next mountain to climb.