In these parts, the talk of legendary figures from folklore and history is ingrained in the fabric of everyday life. And, in truth, Rory McIlroy’s return to Royal Portrush for this 153rd Open on the Dunluce links has a feeling of unfinished business about it. Perhaps, even, the prospect to add to his own legend.
The player who departed Portrush in disappointment after a missed cut in 2019 has come back six years later on a mission with a sense of purpose, unquestionably aided and abetted by his accomplishment in achieving the career Grand Slam in winning the Masters in April.
McIlroy’s form in the subsequent Majors, tied-47th in the PGA and tied-19th in the US Open, fell away. Yet, here this week, in the days when scorecards don’t matter, there has been evidence of someone recharged and re-energised for this special championship at home where, even in the practice rounds, his every movement brought thousands of adoring eyes focused on him. A taster for what, hopefully, the next four days will bring.
Indeed, the five Irish players in the field – McIlroy, Shane Lowry (the Champion Golfer of 2019), Tom McKibbin, Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke – have soaked it all in through the practice days and, in their own ways, have levels of expectations. Winning, primarily. Making the cut, firstly.
RM Block
As Harrington, the US Senior Open champion, put it of having the honour of hitting the opening tee shot but not yet prepared to settle for mere ceremonial duties: “My goal is to hit the first shot and the last shot this week. So that’s, in my head, that’s what I’m trying to do. That’s what I’m thinking.”
The links which will deliver the champion come Sunday is in pristine condition – with greens running slightly over 10 on the stimp – although the potential for unsettled weather, with heavy bursts of rain, will provide its own challenges to augment the examination posed by a course that has out-of-bounds on four of the first five holes and which has generally captivated players in the build-up.
Lowry simply loves the place, and for good reason. He achieved a “lifelong dream” in 2019 when winning the Claret Jug on the championship’s return to Portrush after 72 years and, if joking that he’d played too well in his practice days, said: “I feel like I’m pretty good at going out there and competing against the best in the world week-in and week-out and giving myself the best shot. I do feel ready. I really do.”
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And Bob MacIntyre said: “There is everything on this golf course visually. It’s obviously enclosed by the dunes either side. So you’ve got visuals off the tee. You’ve got holes that you’ve got a chance, and then you’ve got holes that you just try to hang on.”
If those of MacIntyre’s ilk and the quintet of Irish players are familiar with the nuances and demands of links, Scottie Scheffler – the world number one and US PGA champion – has yet to fully figure it out. Maybe here?
“I think [links golf] fits my strengths because I like to do things very creatively, and I think out here you kind of have to,” he said. “I think each year we come over, I start learning a bit more and more in terms of links golf. I love the style of golf. I think it’s really fun and you have to be creative. You have to hit a lot of really good shots. There’s a challenge to it.”
Others, though, perhaps have stronger claims this time. Jon Rahm, for one. The Spaniard’s pre-LIV days saw him win two Irish Opens on links courses – at Portstewart and Lahinch.
And, as a historian of the game, he said: “The Open Championship is the most prestigious event you can win in golf. For my understanding of the game and the history of the game, I think the Claret Jug is the most special one ... the type of golf we play, the links courses, the elements, the weather, it’s quite unique. I don’t think there’s a word to describe it, but all together it’s what makes it so special.”
And defending champion Xander Schauffele described Portrush as “an unbelievable venue”, saying: “It’s everything. If you pick the correct club off the tee, you can maybe get away with a few loose drives, but, then again, it’s very lie biased. Chipping is tricky. Greens are firm. Putting is always tricky with wind.
“There’s some holes where the mounds cover the greens and some holes that are more exposed where the wind is going to affect the ball on the green. I think whoever wins this week is an extremely well-rounded player.”
There is, for sure, a risk/reward element to navigating a way through the dunes and along the coastal holes. Out-of-bounds lurks ominously left and right of the first fairway and, so, the examination is unrelenting until the 18th green is reached. Then do it again. And again. And again.
After Lowry’s win in 2019, The Open’s return – even so quickly – is a hard act to follow. Yet there is a belief among the Irish players that one or other can deliver. If it were to be McIlroy, with his unfinished business, that would be the stuff of legends, for sure.
