Ben Lowry: It is joy to see Rory McIlroy as both our host at Portrush and ambassador
I have been keen to get up here to Royal Portrush this weekend to see the Open, from where I write this.
(Click here to read Ben Lowry’s main column criticising voting at 16)
I feared, 10 or 20 years ago, that the Open would never return to Northern Ireland after its 1951 visit, despite the normalisation of the province after the Troubles. But it did return.
And 2019 was a stunning success. We report today on spectators who have been enjoying it greatly, and comparing it favourably to other ‘major’ golf tournaments on both sides of the Atlantic. I encountered a similar response when I interviewed people in the Portrush crowd then.
This year we have the added excitement that Rory McIlroy seems back in contention, after winning the Masters earlier this year – the title that seemed like it might always elude him. In 2019, he was at a more patchy point in his career, not having won a major in five years. It seemed possible that he might not triumph at that level again. But he has matured as player and a person, and his endurance and determination is an inspiration to other young people to keep trying – that even the superstars have to keep working hard at their skill.
I still get a kick out of the fact that he went to a school that I once did in Holywood, although he was not born by the time I left!
What a joy it is to see the glorious Portrush course, and our stunning north coast, showcased to the world, with Rory as a local ambassador.
Ben Lowry (@Benlowry2) is News Letter editor