Rory McIlroy feels “very capable” of marking his Northern Ireland homecoming by winning The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

McIlroy returns to the iconic Dunluce links – a venue where he still holds the course record 20 years on from shooting 61 aged 16 – for the first time since 2019 having completed the career Grand Slam and as one of the favourites for success this week.

The 36-year-old, who arrives on the back of a tied-second finish at the Scottish Open, was amongst the first out for Monday’s practice session, teeing off at 7am – around 12 hours after his final round in North Berwick.

Thousands of fans tracked him around Portrush with excitement for Northern Ireland’s biggest-ever sporting event continuing to heat up, and for many, the perfect outcome would be McIlroy hoisting aloft his second Claret Jug on Sunday evening.

placeholder image — PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 14: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland signs autographs for fans during a practice round prior to The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 14, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

McIlroy has won three titles this season, including his famous Masters triumph in April, and the local hero is bullish about his chances of adding a sixth major crown on home soil after recovering from a motivational dip post-Augusta.

"I think everyone could see over the last couple of months how I struggled with that, I've done something (career Grand Slam) that I've told everyone that I wanted to do, but then it's like I still feel like I have a lot more to give,” he said. “Talk about the pressure being off, yes, but we're all competitors.

"We all want to do better. We all think we can just get a little bit extra out of what we have.

“It’s been 10 weeks or whatever it is, it hasn't been that long. I probably just didn't give myself enough time to let it all sink in.

"But that's the nature of professional golf. They do a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel, and you feel like it's hard to get off at times.

“It's been an amazing year. The fact that I'm here at Portrush with the green jacket, having completed that lifelong dream, I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way and enjoy the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them.

“But at the same time, I want to win this golf tournament, and I feel like I'm very capable of doing that.”