Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.

The first round of the 2025 Open Championship saw Royal Portrush giving the 156-player field all it could handle as ever-changing weather conditions allowed the Northern Ireland course to show off its strength against the best players in the world.

What time does Rory McIlroy tee off at The Open today? Day two start times, how to watch and latest odds - Masters champion has put himself in title contention on home turf in Northern Ireland

Here's what to know about McIlroy's roots, from his hometown and upbringing, to his young golf career before he emerged as one of the best players in the world. McIlroy was born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland in 1989. His father was also from Holywood, while his mother was from Lurgan, County Armagh.

As a 16-year-old at the 2005 North of Ireland Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, Rory McIlroy shot a course record 61. That was the old course, before redesign. It's a course he recognizes only parts of now.

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.

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

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