Rory McIlroy on Portrush, the Grand Slam, and His Next Goals | 2025 Open Championship

Join Rory McIlroy as he sits down for the opening press conference of the 153rd Open Championship at Portrush, his home turf. Fresh off his Masters victory and having completed the career Grand Slam, Rory shares heartfelt reflections on returning to Northern Ireland, the emotional weight of 2019, and his vivid memories of breaking the Portrush course record at 16. He discusses his current form, lessons learned from past majors, and his goals for the Open and beyond, including the Ryder Cup and new international ventures in India and Australia. McIlroy also opens up about embracing the crowd’s support, his admiration for Shane Lowry’s balance, and the artistry required for links golf. Don’t miss this candid and inspiring conversation with one of golf’s greatest stars! 🏌️‍♂️ #RoryMcIlroy #TheOpen #Golf #Portrush #GrandSlam

Okay, good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the opening press conference of the 153rd Open. I’m delighted to welcome former Open Champion and of course current Mast’s champion Rory Maroy to the interview room. Rory, thank you for joining us today. Um, I’d like to start just by asking you what it means to be back here competing in the open on home soil. Yeah, it um yeah, it it means an awful lot. You know, it’s um it’s weird. It doesn’t feel like six years has passed since since 2019. Um I think it’s amazing that Port Rush has this opportunity so soon after the last open to host again. Um and yeah, just you know, great great to be back. Um you know, I don’t spend a lot of time um in these parts anymore just with travel schedule, you know, living abroad, all that stuff. So, um, to be here to see a lot of familiar faces. Um, you know, even some of the, you know, every, you know, hole on the course has a different team of marshals from different golf clubs. And then just to see people that, you know, I’ve met throughout the years, um, out there this morning was really nice. But, yeah, it’s, um, it’s really nice to be back and obviously very, very excited for the week. Okay. Well, thank you. We’ll start with Dan in the middle there, please. Rory, you spoke after the Masters about needing to find your next Mount Everest. Your last two starts have been really, really solid. How would you describe how you’re feeling coming into this week, coming into how you’ve uh came into maybe the PGA or the US Open? Yeah, I’m I’m certainly um encouraged by how I’ve played the last two starts, especially last week in Scotland. Um yeah, it’s been I think the two weeks off after the travelers just to reset to get over here. um bit of a change of scenery um has been has been really nice. Uh and yeah, like this is, you know, when I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was, you know, this was the um the tournament that was probably um I don’t know, circled even more so than the Masters for for different reasons. So, it’s it’s lovely to be coming in here already with the major um and everything else that’s happened this year. So, um, and I, you know, I’m I’m excited with where my game is. I I felt like I showed some really good signs last week and, um, you know, feel like I’m in a good spot and and, you know, had a not that last week was a pure preparation week, but it definitely, um, I feel like it put me in a good spot heading into here. Okay, next question. Back left. Swami. Yeah. Yeah. Ronny. Uh, I mean, the pressure is off. The slam is there. The Masters is there. Is it? Is the pressure off? I know there’s always a pressure I mean now playing at home uh you also spoke about your schedule now you’re in now you’re kind of adding new parts of the world like my part of the world India so like um any comments on that and now does it mean that you will be seen more often in different parts of the world yeah I um I hope so you know I I there’s you know I’ve certainly um voiced my views and opinions about you know the top level of men’s profession golf maybe needs to get a little more um international in some ways. And yeah, I’m I’m excited to go to India. I’ve never been before. Um so I’m excited just to take in a new place and and a new culture and um you know play yeah play in different parts of the world. I’m going to Australia at the end of this year as well. Um yeah, and I’ve always I always have I’ve always been a you know quite an international player and I’ve enjoyed going to different places and I just think at this stage in my career you know basically 18 years into my professional career to still be able to experience new things and playing new tournaments. Um you know that’s something that that means a lot to me. Okay Mark the front left there. Hey Rory. Um, what are your most vivid recollections of the emotional week here in 19 and and what do you take away from that that maybe helps you this week? Yeah. Um, I think I remember not um the ovation I got on the first tea on Thursday and not being prepared for it or not being, you know, ready for how I was going to feel or what I was going to feel. Um, and then the the golf on Thursday feels like a bit of a blur. I try to forget that part of it. But, um, I remember the run on Friday. Um, I remember, uh, I hit a, you know, I was making a charge and and, you know, you know, making a run to try to make the cut. And, uh, I hit a sixiron into the 14th second shot. And I remember the roar from the crowd. You know, it was sort of getting a little dark and it was overcast. And um I just I for whatever reason like that’s the one thing I remember is that shot and that roar of the crowd and you know walking up to that green and getting a standing ovation and um you know that was that was um it was really special. You know I I wish I had have been here for two more days to to get a bit more of that and experience it. But um you know hopefully I I can change that this week. Come to the middle here. Next question. Rory, I think it was in full swing. You were talking about you and Shane’s relationship, and you mentioned he can be kind of a good role model for you in some ways. I’m just wondering if there’s any traits of his or characteristics that you envy or wish to embody in in yourself. Yeah, I mean, I’ve um yeah, Sheen and I have become, you know, we’ve always been close, but I think we’ve become very close over the the last um sort of five or six years. I think um once we both had kids or at least once I had kids or had a daughter and and I see how Shane is with his daughters um and I just think the you know when I say like a role model I just think about like how um how he is off the course, how he is able to separate his um you know his family life and his his normal life from from his golfing life. Um, and look, it it may be a little more I’m in a little bit of a different position, so it may be a little more difficult for me, but it’s definitely um a a place that I strive to be in to to be as um comfortable getting away from it as as he is in a way. and um enjoying enjoying the fruits of your success and and um you know sharing that with your loved ones and you know so that I think more more so that I mean that’s a you know one of my New Year’s resolutions was to have more fun you know and I think you know Shane is very good at having fun and you know I need more of that in my life. Uh, next question. Back left there. Number one. Yeah, you. Hi, Rory. Um, just following on from trying to think positively about Port Rush. Uh, what are your memories of breaking the course record as a 16-year-old? And speaking about that same kind of topic of being an artist instead of a scientist, how do you reflect on the golfer that you are now compared to the golfer that you were who broke the course record? Yeah, I honestly I don’t I remember a little bit of it. I don’t remember a lot of it. Um, you know, I know I was I think I was nine under for the last 10 holes. Um, you know, I had it, you know, I had it going with the putter a little bit. It was, you know, it was certainly the first time I’d ever felt um like in the zone or that flow state or whatever you want to whatever you want to call it. Um, and yeah, I, you know, I think as well like this golf course has changed. Like I still, like it’s weird the way, you know, the the the original 17th and 18th have been taken out of this golf course and you know, the new seventh and eighth have been put in, but I still, you know, Harry and I were talking about the course last week and he’s like, “Oh yeah, on the 12th hole.” And I’m like, “No, that’s not. It’s the 10th hole.” He’s like, “No, it’s the 12th.” So, like even now I still remember this course the way it was and and not the way it is for the Open. And you I’ve only play, you know, I’ve only played I played the Irish Open in 2012, but it was still the the original golf course. So, I’ve really only played two competitive rounds on this new golf course. Um, so it’s a it’s a little bit different. And but um I think yeah, look, when I shot that 61 when I was 16, I I had a little bit of a clue of what I was doing, but I I certainly didn’t have as much of an understanding of of the game or of my game as as I do now. And I think, you know, in that 20 years, technologies evolved. Um I don’t even think Trackmans were a thing at that point. So, like there’s a lot of different things that have um happened to the game of golf that probably push you in the direction of a scientist more than an artist. Um but as we all know, you know, the Open Championship and Lynx Golf, you you need to show, you know, quite a lot of artistry to um to do well here. Okay, next question. David at the back. Yeah. Uh Rory, last group out yesterday in Scotland uh out here at the Cracker Dawn this morning. just wonder how much sleep you had and whether it was always intention to uh get the prep started really early. Yeah. Um I didn’t get my I got about four hours of sleep. Um so I’m looking forward to taking a nap after this, but um yeah, I just you know the the last couple of majors um at the PJ and the US Open. It’s just it’s the practice rounds take so long. I feel like there’s 50 people inside the ropes all the time and it’s just I feel like I just can’t get good work done. You know, I had good preparation and you know, I didn’t uh I didn’t come up here ahead of time to try to you know, get a couple of practice rounds in. So, just wanted to get out early um sort of beat the rush, beat the crowd, um you know, and and and do my work with not a lot of people around. Um so, that was the reason that I that I did that today and I you know, it it worked out well. Obviously, we had that weather delay there and um you know, it was nice to get 18 holes in early and feel like I got a a productive day of work in. Okay. At the front there, number two, uh David Blessky, Sport Nation. Um Rory, in 2006 at the Dubai Desert Classic, you were a 16-year-old amateur. Um playing with Peter Rali and Robert Coohl’s. Um I was also 16 and I was also your scorer that day. No way. Um, you told me that day that your two goals were to be the world number one golfer and to complete the career grand slam. When you’re an elite golfer as you are one of the best of the generation and achieve your lifelong dream like that, what does the process of resetting your goals look like? Yeah. Um, I think I, you know, um, yeah, I I think everyone could see over the last couple of months how I struggled with that. Um, you know, I’ve done something that I’ve told everyone that I wanted to do. Um, but then I it’s like I still feel like I have a lot more to to give and and it, you know, talk about the pressure being off. Yes. But anyone that sits up here at this table, we’re all competitors. Um, we all want to do better. We all think we can, you know, just get a little bit extra out of what we have. And um but yeah, it’s it’s taken me it’s taken me and it hasn’t taken me that long. I mean, gez, it’s been, you know, 10 weeks or whatever it is. It hasn’t been that long, but I think just um and I probably haven’t, you know, I’ve alluded to this, but I probably just didn’t give myself enough time to to let it all sink in. Um but that’s the that’s the nature of professional golf. They they do a um a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel and you feel like it’s hard to to to get off at times. Um but yeah, it’s a it’s been an amazing year and um you know, the fact that I’m here, you know, at Port Rush with the green jacket, having you know, completed that lifelong dream, as you said, um you know, I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way and enjoy the the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them, but at the same time, you know, I I want to win this golf tournament and I feel like I’m very capable of doing that. Next question. Bob, please. Rory, you Rory, you said the other day you hadn’t played here since the last open. Just wondering how you found it this morning and and also do you get much opportunity to play your home course where where you grew up these days? Um, so yeah, I, you know, I I think the two things I noticed about this golf course today when I played is um I just I have a real appreciation for how well bunkered it is off the tea. It’s like, okay, well, I could hit a two iron off the tea, but that brings this bunker into play, but then if I hit driver, it’ll bring this bunker. So, you have to you have to take on the shot. You have to say, “Okay, well, I’m going to commit to hitting this shot and I’m now I’m just going to have to avoid, you know, it’s not like some some courses that we go to in the open roto, you can just take the bunkers out of play. You can you can lay up short of them or you can go beyond them where here there’s always one bunker or another bunker in play.” So, I think off the tea, it it provides a very very good test. Um, and then I I always am surprised when I come here how how um how much movement there is on the greens. You know, the greens are quite slloppy here for for a Lynx golf course. Um, you compare that to even um Renaissance last week where I had a lot of putts that um were like right edge, left edge, you know, sort of not a lot of putts that were really outside the hole that much. Where you get here, you know, you’re having to play two feet a break or you know, you know, it’s a little it’s a little bit different than than maybe what you face on some other links golf courses. Um, so they’re the two things that I I sort of noticed today. And um, as for Hollywood, I haven’t played Hollywood in I’m gonna say 15 years, maybe. Yeah. Okay, next question. Doug, back left. I wanted to go back to the uh, first TE in in 2019. You’d been a pro for 12 years, done some some great things in the game. What exactly were you feeling? In what way were you not prepared for that feeling? and and what have you learned about that going forward? Yeah, I think just the um I I I played uh a couple of Irish Opens, you know, one here, you know, one at Port Stewart, um one at County, like I played maybe three times in Northern Ireland as a pro. Um, and like it’s, you know, but then you get to an open, it’s a major championship, everything that comes along with it. And I just think that that that feeling, the walk to the first tea and then that ovation, I was um just a little surprised and a little taken aback and like, geez, these people really want me to win. Um, so yeah, I think it, you know, that brought its own sort of pressure and and more internally from myself and not really wanting to let people down and um, you know, I I I guess it’s just something I didn’t mentally prepare for, you know, that day or that week. Um but I you know I I learned pretty quickly that um you know one of my um challenges especially in a week like this is um is controlling myself and controlling that battle. I you know I talked about it you know at the Masters in that last day. The battle on that last day wasn’t with Augusta National. It wasn’t with Bryson. It wasn’t with Justin Rose. battle that day was with myself and um you know and and that’s you know I think whenever you get put in environments like that it’s that’s basically what it is. It’s you trying to overcome um your mind and and trying to give yourself that clarity to um give yourself the best chance to to put together a really good performance. Okay, next question back. Hi Rory, welcome home. This has been built as your homecoming since completing the Grand Slam. What have you made of the reception so far? I know it’s early in the week, but you had big crowds out there. And also, how does it make you feel when you hear people particularly from here saying you’re the greatest sportsman from here? Um, yeah, it’s, you know, I’ve uh, you know, we we got to the hotel at uh 1:00 a.m. last night, so um, you know, it’s barely been 12 hours, but uh 13 hours, I guess, now. Yeah. But it’s been great. you know, I you know, by the time I got to the back nine today, there was a nice crowd out there and, um, you know, after the 18th and, you know, seeing all the kids and, you know, signing autographs and it’s it’s it’s really really nice. Um, and I’m sure that’ll just build as as the week goes on. Um, and then for the other thing, I’ll I’ll let other people make that determination. Like I I try to go about my business. I try to give the best of myself every time I’m out there. And um it’s amounted to some pretty nice things so far. And you know, as I said at the start of this, I still like I still feel like there’s a a lot left in there. So um the story certainly isn’t over. Okay, we’ll finish with the two questions. We have Joy and then come back here. Hey Rory. uh earlier in your career, one of our questions would be that at the beginning of the year, you said that you would write on your Emirates ticket uh the goals that you set for yourself and I know apart from winning the DP World India Championship, how has your goals changed from after the Masters? How have you reset your goals? Yeah, I think um I mean it’s pretty obvious the two big things left this year is this tournament and the RDER Cup. Um you know those are you know the two massive things that are that are left on the golfing calendar. Um, and yeah, they’re the, you know, I think I think what I find as well is, you know, after two weeks off and getting that excitement and that enthusiasm back, it’s like, you know, I I sort of um approached last week and this week is like a a 14-day chunk of, you know, getting some really good work in, especially last week. But then, you know, getting doing your prep away from tournament golf, but then okay, this is your time to lock in for two weeks and and do everything that you need to do. Um, and then reset again and then, you know, try and build myself back up for um for the RDER Cup. And I know I’ve got some events between here and and the RDER Cup, but you know, obviously wanting to have my very best stuff when we go to New York. So um you know that’s I think after the masters obviously I had the PGA and the and the US Open up there in terms of goals um I felt like the PGA was just maybe a bit it was a bit soon and I didn’t know what was you know you know I didn’t know how I felt and and then US Open was was okay. It was just a, you know, I I started slow and then sort of, it took me a while to get into the tournament a little bit, but finished with a decent last day. But, um, as I said, it’s been nice to get back over this side of the pond, change of scenery, reset a little bit. Um, you know, I’m I’m really excited for obviously this week, but, you know, I’m excited for the the rest of the year with the RDER Cup, India, um, Australia, and everything else that’s that has that’s to follow. Okay, final question, please. You mentioned, you know, all the familiar faces and you get asked questions about, you know, coming home and whatnot. The all the people who kind of feel like they have a piece of you here, you know, uh how did you handle that in 19 and what’s kind of your plan to handle it now? Do you totally isolate or do like you let yourself kind of be? So, I think um in 19 I probably tried to isolate. Um and I think it’s better. I think it’s better for everyone if I embrace it. I think it’s it’s better for me because I can, you know, it’s nice to be able to accept agilation even though I struggle with it at times. Um, but it’s also nice for the person that is seeing you for the first time in a few years and you know, so it’s it just makes for a better interaction and not trying to hide away from it. So, um, yeah, I think it’s more of a, you know, embrace, you know, everything that’s going to come my way this week and and not try to shy away from it or hide away from it. Um, and I think that’ll make for a better experience for everyone involved. Rory, thank you for joining us. Uh, best of luck this week. Thank you.