Golfer Rory McIlroy's 2025 has been quite eventful, but his golfing game got pretty strange for a second during Saturday's The Open round at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Island.

The roar from the packed grandstands around Royal Portrush's 12th green was deafening. Rory McIlroy had just rolled in a long eagle putt, and 30,000 Northern Ireland faithful erupted as one. It was, McIlroy would later say,

Rory McIlroy hit two golf balls at once during the 153rd Open Championship, where Scottie Scheffler ultimately reigned victorious

The top two golfers in the world are firmly in contention at The Open with Scheffler out in front entering another major championship weekend

At the time, they could not have known, but they were about to create what would become the only golf course outside Great Britain to host The Open Championship not once, but three times. As we approach the 153rd Open Championship,

Rory McIlroy arrived in his home country with unfinished business. He lost the Open by seven — but left with something important nonetheless.

Explore Royal Portrush Golf Club in depth–learn five facts about its historic origins, Dunluce Links, Open legacy, renovations, and more.