Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy played out their final round of The Open together as the Englishman had his say on the behaviour of his former Ryder Cup team-mate
10:33, 21 Jul 2025Updated 10:33, 21 Jul 2025
Matt Fitzpatrick admitted his enjoyment of playing with Rory McIlroy(Image: Getty Images)
Matt Fitzpatrick waxed lyrical about Rory McIlroy‘s character as the pair finished out their Open Championship campaign side by side.
The golfers both put in impressive performances at Royal Portrush but eventually came up short to Scottie Scheffler, who captured his fourth career major and his first Claret Jug on Sunday.
Fitzpatrick achieved his highest finish at The Open of joint-fourth on -11 alongside Li Haotong, while McIlroy finished joint-seventh on -10 with Xander Schauffele and Robert MacIntyre. While the Northern Irishman wasn’t able to claim victory on home turf, that didn’t stop the thousands of loyal fans from being outward in their support of the 36-year-old.
The screams of his name echoed through the venue and the TV for fans watching at home as Fitzpatrick, who watched McIlroy be showered with love, threw additional praise on the Masters champion.
“Yeah, it was good,” the 30-year-old said when asked about the environment on the final day of The Open. “I’ve heard enough “Rorys” to last me a lifetime. I love playing with Rory. He’s fantastic.
Thousands of fans offered their support to McIlroy as the hometown hero(Image: PA)
“He’s such a great guy, and in an environment like that where he’s obviously trying arguably more than everyone else to win, to just have the class that he has is awesome.”
Speaking after the final round, McIlroy admitted that he struggled to keep his emotions in check after witnessing the plethora of fans giving him support. He said: “I tried as best as I could to keep my emotions in check, especially walking up the last there and that reception.
“Yeah, look, it’s been an awesome week. I’ve gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a Claret Jug, and that’s just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.
“It’s been an amazing week, just the — I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this, I get to do this in front of this crowd.”
Matt Fitzpatrick only had kind words to say about the Northern Irishman (Image: AP)
In what was The Open’s return to Portrush for the first time since 2019, McIlroy retains hope that the course can be more of a regular venue for the major in years to come.
“Honestly, I think Portrush has quickly turned into one of the best two or three venues that The Open goes to,” he added. “Talk to every player this week, and they won’t say one single bad thing about the golf course.
“Then I just think the way it sets up, from a logistical standpoint, I think the R&A have worked so well with the local government to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“Yeah, I hope so. It’s only been six years since 2019. I’m not sure Portrush is going to have The Open every six years, that would be nice, but I would obviously love it to keep coming back.”