The 2025 British Open is being held at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland. For many participating in the event, they will be a long way from home playing in the one golf major of the season that doesn’t take place in the United States. 

For Rory McIlroy, though, it will be a homecoming. 

McIlroy was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland, which is about 61 miles (99.5 km) southeast of Portrush. While he had played in many events at the infamous course, none of them had been golf majors until 2019. The site of The Open Championship changes every year, and in 2019, Royal Portrush was chosen as the host course for the first time in 68 years. Milroy was excited to play such a familiar course, but he realized very quickly that a major at the course felt very different than other times he had played it. 

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Here’s more on McIlroy’s last appearance at Royal Portrush before returning to the course at the 2025 British Open. 

Last time Rory McIlroy played at Royal Portrush

McIlroy last played at Royal Portrush in 2019, which was the last time that the course hosted the British Open. The veteran golfer said that he thought he had prepared for the major, but there was a different vibe starting the round on that first tee.

“I was a little taken aback,” McIlroy said. “Like, Geez, these people really want me to win.” While it seems a little silly of a realization looking back, McIlroy started that tournament shanking his first drive out of bounds. He finished that hole with a quadruple bogey, and it unfortunately was a sign of things to come. 

McIlroy would shoot a 79 in the first round and missed the cut. McIlroy was emotional about how poorly he played on his home course, but he decided to take an important lesson about managing emotion from the performance.

“Whenever you get put in environments like that, 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,” McIlroy said. “I learned pretty quickly that one of the challenges, especially in a week like this, is controlling myself and controlling that battle.”

Shane Lowry, one of McIlroy’s closest friends, won the 2019 British Open. He confirmed that McIlroy put too much pressure on himself. “He did put a lot of pressure on himself, talking about it being the biggest tournament he’s ever going to play. You live and you learn, and I’m sure he’s not going to do that this week.”

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Has Rory McIlroy won a British Open?

Yes. McIlroy debuted at the 2007 British Open as a low amateur. Since then, he has managed one win at the final golf major of the year. McIlroy finally completed the feat at the 2014 British Open, when the tournament was held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Holylake, England. 

Rory McIlroy British Open career timeline

Here is how McIlroy has fared at the British Open in his career. 

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How many times has the British Open been at Royal Portrush?

Unlike the Masters, which is held annually at Augusta National in Georgia, the British Open changes courses every year. This year marks the third time in history that it will be held at Royal Portrush.

The British Open was first held at the course in 1951. Then, there was a 68-year gap before it was held there again in 2019 when McIlroy got to play his home course for the first time in a golf major. The British Open is scheduled out for the next two years, but it will return to Royal Birkdale in 2026 and Old Course at St. Andrews in 2027.