David Bieleski first met Rory McIlroy when they were both 16. When they met again at Portrush almost two decades later, it completed a remarkable tale of redemption.

So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.

Rory McIlroy insists playing in front of home support at The 2025 Open Championship is an “experience I will never forget” after arguably Northern Ireland’s greatest-ever sportsperson received a hero’s welcome in Portrush.

RORY McIlroy has bid an emotional farewell to Royal Portrush after competing at what was a home Open championship for him. He put forth a commendable effort too as he finished in tied-seventh

"It's nice to be able to accept adulation, even though I struggle with it at times," Rory McIlroy said of his return to Royal Portrush for the British Open.

Live scores, updates and highlights as The Open continues with final-round action in Northern Ireland led by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy Aiming to Join Tiger Woods in Historic Record at Open Championship originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Rory McIlroy arrived at Royal Portrush buoyed by his victory at Augusta this April, hoping to exorcise the demons of his dramatic 2019 collapse here.

Rory McIlroy climbed the leaderboard Saturday at the 2025 Open Championship thanks in large part to an electric eagle putt on the par-five 12th.