{"id":21185,"date":"2019-07-14T11:53:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-14T07:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/?p=21185"},"modified":"2019-07-14T11:53:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-14T07:53:00","slug":"rory-mcilroy-targets-home-delight-at-portrush-in-148th-open-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/rory-mcilroy-targets-home-delight-at-portrush-in-148th-open-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory Mcilroy Targets Home Delight At Portrush In 148th Open Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>He may not have lifted a Major championship trophy for five years, but home favourite Rory McIlroy is regarded\u00a0as the man to beat as The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Ulsterman, who hails from Holywood, about an hour\u2019s drive from Portrush, will have the crowd on his side as he targets what would be the most coveted victory of his career.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s nothing that I\u2019d like more than to lift that Claret Jug in front of all my friends and family,\u201d said McIlroy. \u201cWould it be my most special win? Certainly, 100 per cent it would.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t tried to hide the fact that playing a Major championship, basically at home, would ever become an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although McIlroy\u2019s exceptional talent had already been spotted by a string of eye-catching performances in his youth, his meteoric rise to golf superstardom truly began on the Antrim coast in 2005 when, as a fresh faced 16-year-old amateur, he fired off an eagle and nine birdies to post a course-record 61 during the North of Ireland Championship at Royal Portrush.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure alignnone\"><figcaption>Spectators gathered in huge numbers to watch Rory McIlroy at the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush but a quarter of a million are expected at this month\u2019s Open Championship.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s a record which will now never be broken due to the removal of the old 17th and 18th holes and the addition of two new holes (seventh and eighth) effectively making a \u2018new course\u2019 in the eyes of the history book recorders.\u00a0<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to a golf course where I\u2019ve played well before,\u201d said McIlroy. \u201cI know it better than most of the guys who will be playing, so 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like I can go into it and treat it like any other Open Championship. I\u2019ve played a lot of them. I\u2019ve done well in a lot of them. So, there\u2019s no reason why I can\u2019t do well with this one either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More than 200,000 spectators are expected to descend upon the famous Dunluce Links during Championship week and the spotlight will be focused firmly on McIlroy, as well as Portrush native Graeme McDowell, with the home fans licking their lips at the prospect of witnessing a first-ever Major triumph by an Irishman on Irish soil.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a massive week for golf, for the country and for me, personally,\u201d says McIlroy. \u201cI have to go out there in the right frame of mind and not let anything get to me.If I can harness that sort of support from my home crowd and use it to my advantage and not feel like it\u2019s a burden, then it can only help.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lbduk83aCi0?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/worldwide.golf\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously , it will make it more special if I could win at Portrush but I just have to treat it like every other Open Championship that I\u2019ve played over the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McIlroy is enjoying argually the most consistent season of his career so far \u2013 two wins, at The Players Championship and at the Canadian Open, a runner-up finish and another eight top-10 finishes from 13 starts with just one missed cut.<\/p>\n<p>Always hungry for more success, he is trusting in the process that has served him well. \u201cI measure my game in terms of asking myself \u2013 am I improving? Am I getting better? Am I doing everything I can to become a better golfer than I was last year and the year before that?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I just look at my stats throughout the year, I\u2019m bettering the field every time I play, and I think my strokes-gained total on the PGA Tour is half a shot better than the guy in second place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, if I\u2019m playing consistently good golf like that, I guess there\u2019s no reason to believe why I wouldn\u2019t go to Portrush with a good chance of winning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His determination was on display in March when he won The Players at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, against one of the strongest fields in world golf and on a really demanding layout.<\/p>\n<p>His ability to romp home by a convincing margin was evident last month when he won in Canada by seven strokes. McIlroy has won by that margin (or more) four times out of 16 tournaments on the PGA Tour, which shows that when all aspects of his game are firing, he has the capability to win anywhere.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-1134400774.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-1134400774.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1475\" height=\"1980\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The scorecard that set the golfing world alight. Rory\u2019s gross 61 at Portrush when he was just a 16 year-old amateur! The rest is history<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The four-time Major champion\u2019s track record at The Open has been exceptional. Aside from his victory at Royal Liverpool in 2014 he has racked up top five finishes in his last three outings.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won in \u201914, missed \u201915 (due to injury), then I was top five in \u201916, top five in \u201917, and then second last year,\u201d said McIlroy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, I haven\u2019t finished outside of the top five in an Open for quite a while, and I had a decent chance to win at Carnoustie last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m confident and I believe that I can turn up at Open Championships and compete. I feel like I\u2019ve started to become really comfortable at Opens so that obviously gives me optimism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate enough to win an Open Championship before and I\u2019d dearly love to win another one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McIlroy is a self-confessed student of the game who uses modern advancements in statistical data to his advantage, because at the elite level it can take only the finest of margins to separate first from second place, especially over 72 holes. \u201cStatistics, analysis and reflection \u2013 there are so many items that go into the game nowadays,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are things that are measurable, compared to back in the glory days of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. There are more measurables now that you can analyse, and act upon.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-1136481929.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-1136481929.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1320\" height=\"1980\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Golden boy Rory is all smiles after winning this year\u2019s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, Florida, by one shot from Jim Furyk and collected a staggering $2.25 million for the win.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked if there is anything in particular that he believes he needs to address, he explained: \u201cI\u2019m always looking at stats and seeing if there are parts of the other guys\u2019 game that I very much admire. I look at them and say, okay, is there anything I can learn from that? Or, is there anything that another player is doing that I can consider?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, at the US PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, I really liked how Jason Day played his chip shots out of the long rough. I decided that was a technique I should try. There are always items that you can learn and try to put into your own game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>So, does he set himself targets each year for how many wins he would like? \u201cNot really, because that can take me away from what I\u2019m trying to do, which is to focus on the little things that add up to a win, rather than just the result,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess you can say I want to win six times a year, and I want to win a Major and I want to win the FedExCup and the Race to Dubai, but how do you carry it out? It\u2019s not about saying it. It\u2019s all about putting the little things in place that help you get to that destination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>\u2018My best is yet to come\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>McIlroy has been a regular winner since turning professional in 2007, clinching his first tournament in 2009 and going on to collect four Majors in addition to a host of other titles, including three Race to Dubai victories and the FedExCup.<\/p>\n<p>He turned 30 in May and believes there is still plenty to come at the highest level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI definitely don\u2019t feel 30,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is my 11th year on Tour and I\u2019m thinking to myself, where did all that time go? I don\u2019t consider how old I feel. My body is as good as it has been in a couple of years, which I\u2019m really grateful for.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery week when I tee it up, I feel like I\u2019m gaining more experience that I can put into the next tournament, and then the next tournament. I still believe my best is yet to come, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-119920776.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-119920776.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" \/><\/a><figcaption>2011 U.S. Open Champion, Rory McIlroy and 2011 Open Champion, Darren Clarke pose for the media with their trophies during the Pro-Am prior to the 2011 Irish Open held at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In June McIlroy finished in a share of ninth place at the US Open at Pebble Beach for his 11th top ten finish of the year but it represented another near miss in a Major, following a tie for eighth place at the PGA Championship. With the years slowly clocking up since his last Major success this month\u2019s Open represents his last chance before a long wait until next April for The Masters, the only Major he needs to complete his career Grand Slam.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s 14 years since that course-record smashing round at Royal Portrush but it is still emblazoned boldly in McIlroy\u2019s memory and he\u2019ll be drawing on every ounce of his experience on the Dunluce Links when play gets underway on from July 18-21.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are not many golf rounds where I remember every shot, but for that round, I do,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew the record was 64. Once I got to nine-under through 16, I thought if I could par the remaining two and set a new record that would be pretty special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 17th at the time was a par-five and the easiest birdie on the course. That took me to ten-under and I just thought, \u2018don\u2019t screw this up.\u2019 I hit a perfect drive and a good eight iron into the heart of the green. I just wanted to two-putt but ended up rolling it in. I didn\u2019t care what the score was, I just wanted the course record.<\/p>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-452434672.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/worldwide.golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/GettyImages-452434672.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI had my dad and a couple of uncles walking round and a mate of mine was on the bag. He had just turned 16 as well!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McIlroy\u2019s headline-grabbing feat occurred, fittingly, at the same time as the 134th Open Championship was taking place across the Irish Sea on the east coast of Scotland at St Andrews. He was to receive a message of congratulations from none other than Darren Clarke, who was at that time Northern Ireland\u2019s biggest golf star but to McIlroy, it was all \u2018par for the course\u2019.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cNews started to filter across there that I had done something special and I got a text from Darren, which was so cool,\u201d he said.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u2018A defining moment\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt felt normal to me. I had that cockiness and thought this was what I was supposed to do. It\u2019s only when time goes on that I realise these things are special and you should savour them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a defining moment. I became pro in 2007 and had two years to make the Walker Cup. But it was defining because the wider golf world took notice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McIlroy is now undisputedly his homeland\u2019s biggest golfing export and if he can produce another career-defining moment on his return to Royal Portrush he will not only delight his army of friends, family and Irish fans, he will cement his place in history as one the greatest ever to play the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He may not have lifted a Major championship trophy for five years, but home favourite Rory McIlroy is regarded\u00a0as the man to beat as The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951. The\u00a0Ulsterman, who hails from Holywood, about an hour\u2019s drive from Portrush, will have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21185"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21187,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21185\/revisions\/21187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}