'You don't want to let them down' – Rory McIlroy on pressure of being home hope
After going home early six years ago when the championship returned to the Causeway Coast, an hour's drive from where he grew up in Holywood, the Masters champion knew he could not afford to get it wrong this time around.
Advertisement
There was even greater support off the back of his completion of the career Grand Slam at Augusta and galleries 10 deep followed him throughout a round which threatened to be a memorable one for those privileged enough to witness it, but ended up being just satisfactory.
The crowd liked that.
A birdie for Rory on 5.
pic.twitter.com/IM6M1hV7N3
— The Open (@TheOpen)
July 17, 2025
At three under par through 10 and one shot off the lead, he had three bogeys in four holes and needed a birdie at the 17th to get back to one under and only three behind.
'I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don't want to let them down so there's that little bit of added pressure,' McIlroy said.
'I felt like I dealt with it really well today. I certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago.
Advertisement
'I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.
'I'm surprised four under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot six or seven (under) today.
'Only three back with 54 holes to go, I'm really happy with where I am.'
McIlroy's round of 70 had promised so much more, despite his driving, one of his strengths, being unusually wayward.
Advertisement
He was ranked 154th out of 156 players in the field, having hit just two fairways all day.
'I had it going three under through 10 and let a few slip there around the middle of the round,' he said.
'I steadied the ship well, played the last four at one under and it was nice to shoot under par.
'I felt like, once we turned for home, played 10 and turned back and played 11, the wind picked up a little bit and it just became that little bit more difficult.
Advertisement
'It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time so to shoot under par was a good effort.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
35 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Venus Williams, 45, confirms engagement to actor partner, 37, as she rolls back years to win first match in TWO YEARS
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) VENUS WILLIAMS rolled back the years last night to win for the first time since August 2023. The seven-time Grand Slam champion, 45, surprisingly accepted a wildcard to return in Washington DC this week. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Venus Williams celebrates her first win since 2023 Credit: Getty 7 Williams, 45, rolled back the years in Washington DC Credit: Alamy 7 Williams defeated Peyton Stearns... 22 years her junior Credit: Getty Williams last played at Miami in March 2024 and did not have a single ranking point going into this week. The WTA Tour veteran looked like she'd never been away as she defeated world No35 Peyton Stearns, 22 years her junior, 6-3 6-4 in front of a raucous night session crowd. In doing so, Williams became the second-oldest woman to ever win a singles match at tour level, only behind Martina Navratilova, who did so at 47-years-old. The American legend won her first tour-level match 31 years ago, aged just 14. After her historic triumph, Williams revealed on court that she is engaged to actor partner Andrea Preti. The tennis icon said: "My fiance is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing. "There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? "You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 7 Williams is engaged to Andrea Preti Credit: Getty 7 Preti, 37, was in attendance at the match last night Credit: Getty "Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it's wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play." Williams is also playing the doubles event in DC this week. Tennis star Venus Williams talks about her struggles with chronic illness and Sjogren's syndrome Partnering Hailey Baptiste, Williams beat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3 6-1 to advance to round two. Speaking about partnering Baptiste, Williams poked fun at her retired sister Serena. She said: "I think from the first point I could see that we were going to be a good team. "We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way." Williams and Baptiste will be back in action later today, as they take on No2 seeds Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai in the quarter-finals. The veteran will then return again for the singles tomorrow, taking on Poland's Magdalena Frech. Williams has entered the revamped US Open mixed doubles event, which also featured Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, alongside pal Reilly Opelka. The two-time US Open champion could also look for a singles wildcard at Flushing Meadows. 7 Williams is also playing doubles this week alongside Hailey Baptiste Credit: Getty
Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Michelle Agyemang's journey from ball girl to England hero with 'world at her feet'
Michelle Agyemang was the England hero again on Tuesday night as she scored an injury-time equaliser - her second goal in as many knockout matches - to secure their place in the Euro 2025 final It's become a familiar pattern for England at this summer's European Championship - trail for long periods before completing an escape Harry Houdini would envy. Facing Sweden in the quarter-final, the Lionesses were trailing by two in the closing stages, while against Italy in the last four they were 90 seconds from elimination. Somehow, Sarina Wiegman's side emerged from both of those ties victorious and now stand on the brink of history. And of all the England heroes in Switzerland, it's Michelle Agyemang, with two dramatic strikes, that can take most credit for their rollercoaster passage to Sunday's final. At just 19, Agyemang is the youngest member of Wiegman's squad, having made just one appearance for the senior side prior to the tournament. She had featured alongside her new team-mates four years previous though, standing on the sidelines as ball girl during a 4-0 win over Northern Ireland at Wembley. An injury to Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo earlier this year gave her the chance to step beyond the white lines, having progressed through the youth ranks. She took that opportunity with both hands, scoring a stunning volley just 41 seconds after coming off the bench. Agyemang spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Brighton, with her manager Dario Vidosic predicting she would be a huge name by the time the summer was over. He said: "She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons and she'll be, no doubt, a household name sooner rather than later.' Even Vidosic couldn't have predicted just how quickly it would happen, though. Back-to-back goals in the knockout stages, including Tuesday night's 95th minute equaliser mean she is the new star of the side, with plenty of focus on her. Chloe Kelly, who netted the historic winner in the Euro 2022 final, also scored the decisive goal vs Italy, but she reserved special praise for the player that changed the game. "She's an unbelievable player. She's got the world at her feet, she's a young player with a bright future and I'm absolutely buzzing for her.' Lucy Bronze will bring up her 140th cap against Spain or Germany this weekend added: "What a great player, what a bright future she's got.' Agymang admitted she was still getting to know some of her international colleagues, although clearly had no issue with making her presence felt in training alongside more established names. Bronze revealed: "I think she had a few comments early on, not from players but from the outside where they said she's quite aggressive [in training] but I love it. "What a great player to train against every single day in training. And you see it when she comes on, like defenders are petrified of her, coming up against her.' Wiegman has resisted the temptation to start Agyemang, or fellow sub Kelly, although calls for changes continue after their impact from the bench. "She's not forcing me [to start]. She is very grateful that she gets minutes," Wiegman said after her latest batch of heroics. It means that in all likelihood, just as she did at Wembley in Wiegman's third game in charge, Agyemang will start Sunday watching on from the sidelines. Unlike four years ago however, the teenager will expect to have the decisive impact in making England European champions again.
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
Venus Williams, 45, confirms engagement to actor partner, 37, as she rolls back years to win first match in TWO YEARS
VENUS WILLIAMS rolled back the years last night to win for the first time since August 2023. The seven-time Grand Slam champion, 45, surprisingly accepted a wildcard to return in Washington DC this week. 7 7 Williams last played at Miami in March 2024 and did not have a single ranking point going into this week. The WTA Tour veteran looked like she'd never been away as she defeated world No35 Peyton Stearns, 22 years her junior, 6-3 6-4 in front of a raucous night session crowd. In doing so, Williams became the second-oldest woman to ever win a singles match at tour level, only behind Martina Navratilova, who did so at 47-years-old. The American legend won her first tour-level match 31 years ago, aged just 14. After her historic triumph, Williams revealed on court that she is engaged to actor partner Andrea Preti. The tennis icon said: "My fiance is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing. "There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? "You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 7 7 "Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it's wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play." Williams is also playing the doubles event in DC this week. Partnering Hailey Baptiste, Williams beat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3 6-1 to advance to round two. Speaking about partnering Baptiste, Williams poked fun at her retired sister Serena. She said: "I think from the first point I could see that we were going to be a good team. "We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way." Williams and Baptiste will be back in action later today, as they take on No2 seeds Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai in the quarter-finals. The veteran will then return again for the singles tomorrow, taking on Poland's Magdalena Frech. Williams has entered the revamped US Open mixed doubles event, which also featured Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, alongside pal Reilly Opelka. The two-time US Open champion could also look for a singles wildcard at Flushing Meadows. 7 7
