The collapse of plans to host matches in football's Euro 2028 tournament in Belfast damaged Northern Ireland's reputation in the world of sport. The spectacular pictures and smooth running of The Open at Royal Portrush have helped to regain some of the reputational ground which was lost.

If McIlroy didn’t quite deliver, then Royal Portrush — where he shot 61 as a 16-year-old for the course record — certainly did, gaining widespread rave reviews.

How to watch every single shot from the biggest names in golf throughout Round 4 at the 2025 Open Championship

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.

So here is our final major big board of the year, ranking the top 30 golfers in the field. This is not simply the 30 best golfers in a vacuum. These are the 30 golfers that our crack team of Gabby Herzig, Hugh Kellenberger and Brody Miller believe are best suited to win this week at Royal Portrush.

Rory McIlroy hung around to savor the moment, soaking in the adulation that rained down on him on Royal Portrush’s 18th green.

Five facts about Rory McIlroy and his family, from his modest beginnings to world-renowned golf champion and family fan

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.