It was a return six years in the making, and it was a return that perfectly encapsulated Rory McIlroy. Making the trek back to Royal Portrush for The Open Championship -- now as a career grand slam winner -- the Northern Irishman experienced a topsy-turvy day as the hard stuff came easy and the easy stuff came hard.

Rory McIlroy’s wild ride at his home Open continued on day two at Royal Portrush. The Northern Irishman, from an hour down the road in Holywood, began the day three off the lead but quickly made inroads with a birdie at the first.

Rory McIlroy experimentó nuevamente esa sensación de zozobra en el primer hoyo en Royal Portrush. De acuerdo, el héroe

The first round of the 2025 Open Championship saw Royal Portrush giving the 156-player field all it could handle as ever-changing weather conditions allowed the Northern Ireland course to show off its strength against the best players in the world.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy addresses the crowd's presence after Round One of The 2025 Open Championship

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.

Disaster on the first when the championship returned to the county Antrim golf course six years ago has made the field very wary as they begin their rounds

Six years ago at Royal Portrush, McIlroy, who grew up less than an hour away, hit his opening shot out of bounds on the par-4 first on his way to a quadruple-bogey 8 and a 79. He pulled his tee shot again, this time around, but it settled safely in the left rough.