{"id":2925,"date":"2025-09-06T07:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T07:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/2925\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T07:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T07:43:07","slug":"rory-mcilroy-feels-the-love-with-every-step-he-takes-at-the-irish-open-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/2925\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy feels the love with every step he takes at the Irish Open \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rory McIlroy<\/a> has a habit of writing his own scripts and, more often than not, performing the lead role.<\/p>\n

The Masters champion was at it again in the second round of the Amgen Irish Open<\/a> at The K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare, as he caught fire on the homeward run to feed off the energy of the huge crowds \u2013 each one willing him on \u2013 to move into the rear mirror of half-way leader Joakim Lagergren of Sweden.<\/p>\n

While Lagergren marched into the 36-holes with a brilliant 62 for a 12-under-par 132, McIlroy moved ominously into the role of pursuer with a bogey-free 66 for 137 that included four birdies in his closing six holes<\/a> to fuel that electricity of those crowds packed into the grandstands and standing five- and six-deep behind the ropes.<\/p>\n

The homemade signs, of craft markers in vivid colours, displayed by young fans as McIlroy made his move around the Palmer North course told their own story of the adoration in which the Masters champion is held.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrand Slam Champion, welcome home!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRory. Who\u2019s the better golfer? Tiger Woods or Happy Gilmore?\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, simply, \u201cRors\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"RoryRory McIlroy greets fans at The K Club. Photograph: Tom Maher\/Inpho <\/p>\n

McIlroy could feel the love with every step he took.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely amazing; just the support, the atmosphere. Yeah, even what I did (on Thursday), that little Q&A in the fan village with the Major trophies and the green jacket, just reflecting on this week and where I find myself. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think being in this neck of the woods too [is fitting]. I went for dinner with Erica and Poppy in Maynooth and that takes me back to the Golf Union of Ireland days and doing the sort of Irish [amateur team] weekends at Carton House and all that stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just to think about the journey I\u2019ve made. I feel very, very lucky and very grateful that the journey has sort of ended up at the place that it has. I\u2019m really enjoying the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

McIlroy won the Irish Open at The K Club in 2016 and narrowly missed out a year ago, finishing runner-up by a shot to Rasmus Hojgaard at Royal County Down, and \u2013 in a season where he won three times on the PGA Tour in capturing the Pebble Beach pro-am, The Players and completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters \u2013 the Northern Irishman would love to add another title.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m unbelievably excited for the opportunity. I had a great chance to win last year at RCD, I wasn\u2019t quite able to do it. So, if I can put myself in contention again, going into Sunday, and give myself another opportunity to win my national open, that would be amazing!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy has a habit of writing his own scripts and, more often than not, performing the lead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,1393,1394,112],"class_list":["post-2925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-open","tag-rory-mcilroy","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}