Rory McIlroy’s jokes about “more grey than I already am” for the Open’s return to Royal Portrush before his retirement could also apply to the impact of trying to close down Sunday champion Scottie Scheffler.

How to watch every single shot from the biggest names in golf throughout Round 4 at the 2025 Open Championship

So here is our final major big board of the year, ranking the top 30 golfers in the field. This is not simply the 30 best golfers in a vacuum. These are the 30 golfers that our crack team of Gabby Herzig, Hugh Kellenberger and Brody Miller believe are best suited to win this week at Royal Portrush.

While Rory McIlroy’s Northern Ireland homecoming didn’t have the fairytale finish of winning a second Claret Jug at Royal Portrush, the atmosphere surrounding his return was still the highlight of an unforgettable Open Championship.

Rory McIlroy’s third-round charge at the British Open has been derailed in bizarre fashion after he unwittingly performed a trick shot at the 11th hole.

Five facts about Rory McIlroy and his family, from his modest beginnings to world-renowned golf champion and family fan

Erica Stoll was born in New York in 1987. The pair first met in the 2012 Ryder Cup when a sleepy McIlroy got his tee times mixed up and was late for his tee time. Stoll, a PGA Tour of America employee, was on hand to help McIlroy get up and to the golf course.

Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.