A two-story mural depicting a precocious Rory McIlroy in 2012 has seen such better days that you can barely tell it is the Grand Slam golfer anymore

While Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph earned him a long-awaited career grand slam, a home Open Championship win at Royal Portrush could be even more emotion for the North Irishman.

The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the epic site of Irishman Shane Lowry’s dominant win in 2019. This time, the storylines are in full force. Rory McIlroy is returning to the iconic course 60 miles from his home,

Rory McIlroy grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and learned to play golf at Holywood Golf Club. I visited and took the "McIlroy Tour."

Masters champion Rory McIlroy is confident he can capture his sixth major championship at the Open at Royal Portrush after breaking free of the "hamster wheel" of professional golf.

HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland — Two decades before Rory McIlroy’s career-defining triumph, when he finally conquered his Masters demons with an emotional rollercoaster of a win at Augusta National, he did, in fact, already own a green jacket.

Fans were still trickling onto the grounds and no other player was within sight as McIlroy plotted his way around a golf course where he still owns the course record -- a 61 when he was just 16 years old.

After time off and a solid tune-up, McIlroy says he’s in a good spot heading into the major he circled from the start.