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.

The 2025 British Open is underway at Royal Portrush, where the best golfers in the world will be battling the conditions and each other for the Claret Jug in the final major of the year.

The hometown hero is back at Royal Portrush, but Rory McIlroy was poor off the tee again as the Open Championship rolls on.

Rain lashed from above, North Atlantic winds pummeled from the side, and thousands of excited, umbrella-wielding shapes swirled amongst it all, yet the man at the eye of the storm remained entirely unflustered.

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.

By the time Rory McIlroy finished his first practice round for the British Open at Royal Portrush, a big crowd that weathered rain and sunshine was waiting to see him finish.

World number one Scottie Scheffler was one stroke adrift, and Rory McIlroy scrambled to a 70 after a rollercoaster round in which he bogeyed the first hole and fought back to three under before fading on the back nine.

ROYAL PORTRUSH — The Masters took four days to drain the Rory McIlroy fan base of emotional resource. Northern Ireland might well run out of tranquilisers come Sunday should McIlroy get that far. No eight on the card, yet, but tumult aplenty on the opening day in Portrush.