“Rory did win,” said Brian McDermott, from Moville, Co Donegal. “He brought the Open to Portrush. The Open would not be here without him, so that is a win. “Six years ago, he missed the cut, so to get him, and to watch him, and to see him finish – that is a win.

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.

When the Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2019, a great deal of ink was spent explaining why it hadn’t visited Northern Ireland in 68 years.

PGA Tour pro Wyndham Clark remained tight-lipped at The Open after getting suspended from Oakmont Country Club.

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.

Finau fired a 1-over-par 72 in the third round to go with his rounds of 70-68 and that effort left him watching the contenders pull away. Most of the movers and shakers fired rounds of four to five under par as Scottie Scheffler rocketed to a huge lead heading into Sunday.

Off the greens, the entire town of Portrush put on its best front and laid on a great welcome that has done Northern Ireland proud. Here's the best images from the final day.

Rory McIlroy shot 1-under 70 in the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush that is also serving as a homecoming for the Northern Irish star.