Rory McIlroy eyes up ‘two more Opens' in NI as players heap praise on Portrush: ‘One of the coolest views in golf'

Belfast Telegraph

12 hours ago

Home favourite Rory McIlroy has said he is looking forward to playing 'two more Open Championships' at Royal Portrush.
The Holywood hero finish in a tie for seventh after a thrilling week on the north coast, trailing winner Scottie Scheffler by seven shots.
It was the third time to oldest major in golf has been played at Royal Portrush, with 2019 marking its long-awaited return to the Open rota after 68 years since it first hosted the tournament in 1951.
The third visit following just six years after the second marked an unusually quick turnaround, with the expectation that it may take a little longer to roll round again next time, especially as Portmarnock in Dublin looks to be closing in on a place on the rota.
In saying that, the R&A will no doubt be attracted by the record-breaking numbers of supporters, with 280,000 pouring through the gates this week – more than at any other Open outside St Andrew's.
Fans explore 'The Shop' at The Open for official merchandise
And it seems that Royal Portrush has also got the seal of approval from the world's leading golfers, including McIlroy, who are looking forward to the next edition of the tournament on Antrim's coastline.
"Hopefully I'll have one or two more Opens here; one while I'm competitive and one when I'm more grey even than I am now,' smiled McIlroy, who had turned the atmosphere electric on Saturday when he converted to eagle to fuel believe he could win the trophy.
"It was nice to have a chance out there. I think there's a lot of gratitude and a lot of pride that I am from these shores, and in part with the way I've played and advocated for this little country, The Open has returned here, and it's been an amazing venue. Hopefully the R&A keep coming back.'
Shane Lowry said that his fellow players had been raving about 'how much they have loved this tournament and venue'.
The man who did get his hands on the Claret Jug also had special praise for the course, with Scheffler labelling the signature hole 16 – Calamity Corner – as 'one of the coolest views that I've seen in the game of golf.'
He added: 'Teddy (Scott – caddie) and I were standing there, I think it was on Friday, looking out. It was a day in which you had a bunch of rain and there was rainbows on the other side, and you're looking out over the golf course on the right, and you've got the huge bluffs by the ocean and it's just mounds and hills, and the town is in the distance. It's a really, really cool hole.'
He also said he 'wished he could have seen more of the town' on what was a 'business week', while his compatriot and fan favourite Bryson DeChambeau labelled the Dunluce Links as 'a great Open venue' and looked forward to the competition's return.
He added: 'There are a lot of tricky hole locations. I think it was a solid setup. It would be a lot of fun to come back. It's a great town.'
And it wasn't just Americans who left with positive views of Portrush, as England's Aaron Rai said the course was 'extremely fair' and 'very well designed'.
The fans, too, got saluted by the stars as Jordan Spieth labelled the Portrush patrons as 'the best in the world'.
He said: 'The Open always has the best fans in the world. Most knowledgeable. This is one of the better viewing Open courses because of the dramatic topography. Some Opens would be very hard for a spectator to view if you're not in a grandstand, but here you had some great spots for people to see. This is one of my favourite Open venues, but in general, the crowds at any Open are typically the best in the world.'
Tommy Fleetwood added that he enjoyed once again playing in the atmosphere with a home favourite, having been paired with McIlroy on Thursday and Friday this time out after being in Sunday's final pairing with winner Shane Lowry in 2019.
It remains to be seen when The Open will be back at Royal Portrush, with only Royal Birkdale (2026) and St Andrew's (2027) confirmed for future years, and the R&A refusing to be drawn on a 2028 venue earlier this week.
But when it does come back, it will be here with the back of some of the world's top golfers.
Here's The 153rd Open Championship as it happened on our live blog across the week:
17 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Rory McIlroy and more are ready to return to Royal Portrush
Rory McIlroy eyes up 'two more Opens' at Royal Portrush as players heap praise on course: 'One of the coolest views in golf'
Home favourite Rory McIlroy has said he is looking forward to playing 'two more Open Championships' at Royal Portrush.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
51 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Love from Bobby Mac
The Scotsman finished in a share of seventh this week and shared his happiness on social media.
Robert MacIntyre on Twitter / X
I love you Portrush @theopen 💙 pic.twitter.com/KJoHOul4rm— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) July 20, 2025
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58 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Q: Can you talk me through the minute after you won, where you went from being modest to throwing your hat in the air when you saw your family?
"Every time I win a tournament, the first person I look for is my wife. Usually we walk off to the right and she wasn't there, so I wondered what happened, but then she was with my dad. She's my best friend. It takes a lot of work to be able to be good at this game and I wouldn't be able to do it without her support and her being able to give me the time to do that. It's not a lifestyle that other people want but we're grateful and it's a fun life for us. The whole team should have their names on the trophy because it takes a village. We have a great time and we love being able to practice to work and celebrate these things."
Today 06:55 PM
Gareth Hanna
Q: As you came up to 18, your son was clapping. Has he started playing?
"Bennett was clapping. Sometimes he claps when he hits a golf ball. I have one nephew who's completely obsessed with golf I was when I was a young age. He hits golf ball after golf ball and Bennett wanted to try. I set a ball down and he hit it. He likes it, but he doesn't know what a ball is. He's either eating his golf club or hitting something with it. Sometimes other kids - we're working on it!
"The game of golf has taught me a tremendous amount. It's a very special game. You call penalties on yourself and learn a lot of good life lessons. I hope he can play and enjoys it as much as I do."
Today 06:53 PM
Adam McKendry
Q: Do you let your mind wander to the US Open and the final leg of the Grand Slam?
"No. I just got off the golf course! That's one of those funny things, since Rory accomplished it earlier this year, it's what everybody is thinking about. It's really special for him to achieve that and I don't focus too much on that. I'll assess that when I get home and at the end of the year. I don't think about winning tournaments, I just think about playing the best I can."
Today 06:52 PM
Gareth Hanna
Q: It seems like one of your big priority is to maintain some semblance of normal family life... how did you know it was something you had to do and prepared for that?
"I think that's a good description. My biggest priorities are my faith and my family. Golf is third in that order. Golf is not how I identify myself. I don't identify myself by winning tournaments or being famous. There are two chipotles that I go to. If I go to one of those, it would be difficult now, the other one; if I go there, nobody recognises me ever! I'm not going to tell you where that is! This week I was the best player in the world, next week we start at even par and the show goes on. I don't feel any different because I won a tournament. I'm very grateful for it. It's an amazing feel but, my faith and my family is what's most important to me. I feel like a normal guy. I have the same friends I had growing up."
Q: Do you think about records, like your 54-hole lead win rate or how long you've been at the top of the rankings?
"Not really. I've always felt I'm best when I can live in the present. Looking back on this week, if I just showed up in Memphis and thought I was best resting on my accomplishments, I probably won't play well, or thinking about my poor starts. I always think about my effort and going out and competing my hardest. I just try to get the most out of myself every day and compete as hard as I can when I'm inside the ropes."
Today 06:48 PM
Gareth Hanna
Q: Tiger's first-fourth major wins and yours were both 1,197 days. What about those comparisons?
"I think they're a bit silly. Tiger won 15 majors. This is my fourth. Tiger stands alone in golf. He was inspirational for me. I don't focus on those kinds of things. I have dreams and aspirations but at the end of the day, when I wake up to practice, what motivates me is to live out my dream. I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability. Outside of that, I don't place much emphasis on winning tournaments or things that I can accomplish."
Today 06:47 PM
Adam McKendry
Q: How pleased were you with your putting this week?
"I feel like I've done a great work with Phil, he's a great guy to bounce off and we've made great work. I grew up being a great putter, I wasn't a great ball striker, so I grew up being good at my short game. I had acouple years on Tour where I wasn't great but I knew it was in there and Phil helped bring it out again and being confident in what I'm doing. The conversation on Monday and Tuesday was how did I feel last week and I felt pretty good, the ball wasn't going in, the only thing I wanted to check was whether I was lined up where I wanted to be and we went from there. I didn't put much thought to it and I putted nice."
Today 06:45 PM
Gareth Hanna
Q: What was your first impression of the 16th?
"It was raining and blowing out of the left. I hit it to 30 feet during the practice day and I thought it was an amazing shot. Sam Burns hit it to 20 and holed it! So I thought shoot, I've just lost the hole!
"It's one of the great views in golf. There were rainbows and looking out over the course on the right. It's bounds and hills and the town's in the difference. It's a really good hole. I was fortunate to enjoy the walk with a putter in my hand. I'm very grateful for the tee shots this week."
Today 06:44 PM
Adam McKendry
Q: Easy to go back to that quote earlier in the week, is it going to be longer than a two-minute celebration?
"I think we live now in a day and age where clickbait is what people look for and you can shorten a five minute answer to three words. I didn't do a good job at communicating what I wanted to say. I have a gratitude for being able to do this for a living and go out and compete. Winning an Open at Portrush is hard to describe. I'm achieving a dream - I was a kid growing up in Texas wanting to be a professional golfer. I wore pants because those guys wore pants. I don't know why I'm so lucky to live my dreams but I'm very grateful for it. If anybody wants to listen to me, listen to all of it. At the end of the day, having success isn't what fulfils the desires of your heart. Is it great to win? Heck yeah and I can't wait to celebrate. But at the end of the day it doesn't fill the deepest desires of my heart. It's hard to describe when you haven't lived it. Just because you win a golf tournament, it doesn't make you happy. Maybe for a few days."
Today 06:41 PM
Gareth Hanna
Q: When it was over, you went out with a pretty good yell. Can you explain that release?
A: "It takes a high level of focus. I had a good size lead but it's a major. The golf course is challenging. I made a double. You just don't know. It doesn't feel like it's won until the ball is in the hole. Golf's a funny game. Seeing my game after is a special feeling. It's hard to describe but it's something I'm very grateful for."
Today 06:40 PM
Q: What was it like walking up 18?
"Hard to tell. It's a very cool walk, it's a very special walk. Walking up 18, I wasn't sure I was going to get much support rom the crowd, I think they wanted someone else to win and I riled them. But I got a great reception and I heard a lot of support for me. It was a lot of fun. Walking up 18 with the tournament in your hands is hard to describe. I have a lot of gratitude for this, it takes a lot of patience and this was one of my best performances mentally, staying in it all week. To have only one mistake in the last 376 holes of a Major championship is how you're going to win these things. We were great at staying dialled in and holing some crucial putts.
Today 06:38 PM
Gareth Hanna
Q: I've never seen anyone so happy to share the spotlight as you were with your son
A: "He was trying to get up that hill on 18, he's never been up a hill that big before. That's part of the learning curve. It's very cool to have him here. He has no idea what's going on, he's just wants to spend some time with me. It's pretty cool."
Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X
Now it's Bennett Scheffler's turn to get his hands on the Claret Jug ❤️🏆 pic.twitter.com/Cl8BjI70nj— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025
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Today 06:38 PM
Adam McKendry
Q: His thoughts on winning
"It's a very special feeling. It takes a lot of work to get to this point. It was a challenging week and the course was playing really tough. The only mistake I made was on eight but I played well. The PGA I struggled on the front nine but I pushed forward on the back nine. This one I built a lead, had the mistake on 8 and then pushed through again and won."
Today 06:31 PM
Gareth Hanna
Stay with us
Scottie Scheffler is on his way into the interview room for the winner's press conference.
Today 06:13 PM
Adam McKendry
Baby Bennett
There are few more wholesome scenes than a golfer celebrating a win with their child. Bennett Scheffler has come through and stolen the show on the 18th green!
Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X
Now it's Bennett Scheffler's turn to get his hands on the Claret Jug ❤️🏆 pic.twitter.com/Cl8BjI70nj— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025
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Today 06:01 PM
Gareth Hanna
Scottie Scheffler: 'I know I wasn't the fan-favourite'
"Thank you to the fans. I know I wasn't the fan-favourite today, but I did hear a lot of 'USA' chants so I appreciate that. It's been a great week, the support was tremendous. I played with Shane (Lowry) on the first two days and seeing you guys support him the way you did was great. To my family, thank you so much for the support. I love you very much and I can't wait to get home and celebrate.
"I've got the best support team I have so thank you all very much. Thank you to the R&A for putting on such a good event. You support the players and take care of us, making this week very easy and special for all of us.
"Thank you to Royal Portrush and the town here. I wish I could have seen more of the town but it was a business week. It was a tremendous week and I look forward to hopefully bringing The Open back here."
Today 06:00 PM
Gareth Hanna
What happens next?
Having signed and submitted his card, Scottie Scheffler is back out on the 18th green for the presentation of the Claret Jug.