Rory McIlroy signals major change in Open mindset for Portrush after 2019 nightmare

Rory McIlroy says he is ready to "embrace" his home support in Portrush this time rather than take the isolationist stance that backfired on him in 2019.

The 35-year-old famously missed the cut when The Open returned to the county Antrim venue for the first time since 1951. He drove out of bounds off the first tee of his opening round and despite a second round 65, McIlroy's tournament ended at the halfway point.

But he promises that it will be a different story this time around. McIlroy admits he only had four hours sleep after finishing second in the Scottish Open on Sunday and making the trip to Portrush, starting his preparation on the Dunluce Links before 7 o'clock this morning.

"I'm looking forward to taking a nap after this," quipped McIlroy at a press conference after his round. "We got to the hotel at 1am last night, so it's barely been 12 hours, 13 hours I guess now, but it's been great.

"The last couple of majors, at the PGA and the US Open, the practice rounds take so long. I feel like there's 50 people inside the ropes all the time. I feel like I just can't get good work done, good preparation.

"I didn't come up here ahead of time to try to get a couple of practice rounds in, so I just wanted to get out early, sort of beat the rush, beat the crowd, and do my work with not a lot of people around. So that was the reason that I did that today.

"It worked out well. Obviously we had that weather delay there, and it was nice to get 18 holes in early and feel like I got a productive day of work in."

Despite the early hour there were still plenty of fans present to watch the Holywood star in what is his homecoming after completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters in April.

Mixed into the crowd were faces that he knew from times past. "By the time I got to the back nine today, there was a nice crowd out there," he smiled. "After the 18th and seeing all the kids and signing autographs, it's really, really nice, and I'm sure that'll just build as the week goes on.

"It means an awful lot. It's weird, it doesn't feel like six years has passed since 2019. I think it's amazing that Portrush has this opportunity so soon after the last Open to host again.

"Just great to be back. I don't spend a lot of time in these parts anymore just with travel schedule, living abroad, all that stuff. To be here, to see a lot of familiar faces - every hole on the course has a different team of marshals from different golf clubs, and just to see people that I've met throughout the years out there this morning was really nice.

"I think in '19 I probably tried to isolate, and I think it's better for everyone if I embrace it. I think it's better for me because I can... it's nice to be able to accept adulation, even though I struggle with it at times.

"But it's also nice for the person that is seeing you for the first time in a few years. It just makes for a better interaction and not trying to hide away from it.

"I think it's more of an embrace of everything that's going to come my way this week and not try to shy away from it or hide away from it, and I think that'll make for a better experience for everyone involved."

As for 2019, when he carded 79 for his first round before that scintillating Friday effort left him agonisingly just outside the cut, McIlroy feels he is better prepared to deal with the roar he will receive on the first tee on Thursday this time.

"I remember the ovation I got on the first tee on Thursday and not being prepared for it, or not being ready for how I was going to feel or what I was going to feel," he said. "Then the golf on Thursday feels like a bit of a blur. I try to forget that part of it.

"But I remember the run on Friday. I remember I was making a charge and making a run to try to make the cut, and I hit a 6-iron into the 14th, second shot, and I remember the roar from the crowd.

"It was sort of getting a little dark and it was overcast, and for whatever reason, that's the one thing I remember is that shot and that roar of the crowd, and walking up to that green and getting a standing ovation. It was really special.

"I played a couple of Irish Opens, won here, won at Portstewart, won at County Down. I think I played maybe three times in Northern Ireland as a pro.

"But then you get to an Open, it's a major championship, everything that comes along with it, and I just think that that feeling, the walk to the first tee and then that ovation, I was still a little surprised and a little taken aback - like, 'geez, these people really want me to win'.

"I think that brought its own sort of pressure and more internally from myself and not really wanting to let people down. I guess it's just something I didn't mentally prepare for that day or that week.

"But I learned pretty quickly that one of my challenges, especially in a week like this, is controlling myself and controlling that battle. I talked about it at the Masters on that last day. The battle on that last day wasn't with Augusta National. It wasn't with Bryson (DeChambeau). It wasn't with Justin Rose. The battle that day was with myself.

"I think whenever you get put in environments like that, that's basically what it is. It's you trying to overcome your mind and trying to give yourself that clarity to give yourself the best chance to put together a really good performance.

"I wish I had been here for two more days to get a bit more of that and experience it. But hopefully I can change that this week."

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