McIlroy takes ‘insane’ Portrush crowd on Open thrill ride

One particularly madcap 30-minute spell early in Rory McIlroy’s back nine best captures the emotional rollercoaster he took on the vast, sun-beaten Royal Portrush crowd during the third round of the Open Championship.

After a strong start, McIlroy’s patience had already gotten stretched by a series of six successive pars.

Then, on November 11, he encountered the “most weird, ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.” When McIlroy hit his own ball, an embedded ball appeared from the spot where he had flailed his drive way right on 11 and left him completely perplexed.

McIlroy, whose captivating five-under-par 66 leaves him six shots clear of Scottie Scheffler, said, “It’s never happened to me before.”

It could never occur on a link course, which is also possible. It was very strange when the balls got all matted down.

McIlroy missed the 2019 Open at Portrush despite a strong second-round charge. He has been putting it off for six years. There was never a dull moment in this.

The fans were aware of this as well. The crowds that poured into the various grandstands and dotted the fairways made unwavering efforts to enthralle their hero on every hole.

The thousands of people following McIlroy needed another little boost of excitement as overnight leader and world number one Scheffler was gradually slipping further ahead of him.

The Masters champion surprised them with a stunning, suspense-filled piece of showmanship on the 12th.

McIlroy stumbling down the slope with a wickedly quick putt after two fine blows to the back of the green. The ground shook as it fell into the cup after 11 seconds and reached its destination.

The 36-year-old remarked, “Yeah, this could be one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had on the golf course.”

After watching Oppenheimer for the first hour or so, McIlroy was prepared for whatever the Dunluce Links threw at him on Saturday.

With three birdies in his first four, he jumped out of the traps and poured in a 36-footer for the County Antrim property, sending shockwaves through the property.

He stalled after gaining more points at two and four. Two of the four easiest holes on the course, where he birdied five and seven, fell through for him, and he missed a chance on 10 before the whirlwind of 11 and 12 .

When he hit the top of the pin on 15 and rolled in the resultant three-footer, he raised the decibels one more time.

McIlroy is unlikely to win, despite Scheffler having a dozen strokes in arrears and carding a bogey-free 67 to take a four-shot lead over Li Haotong.

Naturally, he wanted to play the Claret Jug on his own turf, but he seems happy to take this week as his soul-stirring post-Masters homecoming.

McIlroy is 36 . The Open will be held in Portrush when it comes up next, but it’s impossible to say for certain that the five-time major winner will still be a superstar there.

After McIlroy admitted not living up to the terms of his contract in 2019, both the player and the fans have been eager to relish every moment this week.

Fans have been having it all week. They have energised and lifted him at every turn from getting out of their beds for his early morning practice round on Monday to gathering in incredible numbers on Saturday.

The afternoon had a Ryder Cup-like atmosphere thanks to the chants of “Rory, Rory, Rory” on Saturday, particularly in contrast to the roars from other courses.

He said, “I’ve come here really just trying to embrace it.”

“I might have felt differently if I hadn’t won a major this year or the Masters if I hadn’t won.”

It almost feels like a celebration of what I’ve accomplished. I’d like to join them for a holiday. This week, I’ve just made a really strong effort to embrace everything.