GOLF’S GREATEST 18TH HOLE GRANDSTAND .. all in readiness for the 148th @TheOpen @royalportrush 💪🥇👍
With special thanks – @IrlLinksGolf @NITouristBoard #LinksGolf #golftour #linksgolf #golfireland #wildatlanticway #northwest @CallawayGolfEU @CallawayTour @IrishGolferMag pic.twitter.com/p9tWczB5qi
— 🍋Genius 🗝 (@TOURMISS) June 6, 2019
And while Irish residents have purchased some 70% of the tickets that went on sale, if McIlroy were to capture a second Open he’s insisted the victory will be all about himself.
“Golf is a selfish sport, and you want to win for yourself,” said McIlroy.
“At this point in my career, I want to win for me. It’s not about trying to do something in front of friends and family.
“So, 100 per cent the win is all about me.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever have an opportunity to play in a major championship at home. It has been a tournament that I’ve earmarked for a while. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited about it. I’m not going to hide that fact.
Rory McIlroy’s scorecard showing he shot a 61 during the 2005 North of Ireland championship
“It’s going to be a massive week for golf, for the country, and for me personally. It’s just about harnessing that support and harnessing that environment the right way and trying to use it to your advantage. I have to go out there with a good mindset and obviously not let the occasion get the better of me and hopefully produce some good golf and give myself a chance.”
A big plus in McIlroy’s 2019 Open Championship arsenal is that he knows Royal Portrush as good as he knows his beloved Holywood course in suburban Belfast, In fact, McIlroy holds the Royal Portrush course record of a 61 however with a new 7th and 8th hole a newer record has yet to be set in formal competition.
And while we wait for McIlroy to hopefully capture that illusive first Augusta National green jacket nothing will be as important to him in what is left of 2019 than to win The Open at Royal Portrush.
“My record in the Open Championship the last few years has been good,” he said.
“I’m going to a golf course that I played well on before and I know better than most of the guys that are playing that week.
“But just because where it is, there’s no reason why I can’t go into it and treat it like any other Open Championship. I’ll go through the same preparation, I’ll play practice rounds. It’s the same stuff. I’ve done it hundreds of times before. I’ve played a lot in them. I’ve done well in a lot of them.
“And there’s no reason why I can’t do well with this one either.”
I for one know where I want to be late on Sunday, July 21st and that is somewhere around that imposing 18th hole grandstand at Royal Portrush.
