Six years after his emotional missed cut at Royal Portrush, McIlroy stuck around for four days of heavy praise from the hometown crowd, which showered McIlroy all the way through his 10-under performance and T-7 finish.

The child stood transfixed, overwhelmed by the moment, until reality crashed back when McIlroy had already moved 50 yards past. Panic flashed across the boy's face—had he missed his chance? He found his voice.

So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.

Rory McIlroy climbed the leaderboard Saturday at the 2025 Open Championship thanks in large part to an electric eagle putt on the par-five 12th.

If you played enough golf like Rory McIlroy, you'd think you've seen everything that can happen on a golf course. If you've watched as much golf as his fans have through the years, you'd think the same.

Scottie Scheffler was the pre-tournament favorite entering the 2025 Open Championship, but Rory McIlroy was the big story as he looked to put the heartbreak from 2019 in the past and capture the Claret Jug in his home country of Northern Ireland.