Rory McIlroy does something that only Tiger Woods did says Nick Dougherty, ‘even Scottie Scheffler…’

McIlroy got underway at his home Open Championship at Royal Portrush and got off to a solid start. He shot a one-under 70, recovering from a string of bogeys on the back nine to remain three shots off the lead.

It was far and away a better performance than the last time The Open came here. Then, McIlroy shot eight over after a quadruple bogey on the first hole. He said that the pressure of the home support got to him, and he was more prepared on this occasion.

Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The home support at Royal Portrush is incredible for the Northern Irishman, to an extent which pundits have never seen before.

Nick Dougherty says Rory McIlroy ‘moves the needle’ the way Tiger Woods did

The support for McIlroy was so immense that it caused pundits to say that the 2025 Masters winner attracts support like nobody currently playing does

Dougherty said that everybody on the course was there to see him, specifically. Speaking on Sky Sports, Dougherty said, “They stayed to see Rory McIlroy finish. Not that he’s the only player there, but he moves the needle like Tiger Woods did in his prime.

“Of this current crop, probably more than anyone, even though Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the game.”

Wayne Riley, who followed McIlroy’s group for Sky Sports throughout the day, added, “This is seriously special just outside of Belfast at Royal Portrush. It’s pretty cool, and long may Rory McIlroy play for, because this game needs Rory McIlroy.”

Ryan Lavner, on the Golf Channel Podcast, said the support was like nothing he had ever seen for a player.

He said, “Throughout the course of the day, walking around with Rory, it is unbelievable. It is an overwhelming amount of support, the likes of which I have never experienced. I don’t know if I have a comparison for it, certainly among the modern players.

“This is a different type of animal, where everyone on the property is rooting with all of their being for Rory McIlroy to win this golf tournament. All I could think about when I walked around with him was the immense amount of pressure he must feel to perform for these fans.”

“It’s incredible to think about how an entire country is trying to push him to the finish line.”

Rory McIlroy handles home support pressure for a solid performance

McIlroy, who broke the Royal Portrush course record at 16 years old, fought through his first tee nerves to shoot a solid one-under and remain in contention for the win. At one point, he was three under, but tricky conditions on the tougher back nine meant he had to hang on to remain under par.

He drove the ball poorly, hitting only two fairways on the day, but managed to scramble well and hit greens out of difficult lies.

He was content with his efforts, telling Sky Sports, “Overall, I’m happy with the start. Very solid. I think I only hit two or three fairways on the day. I felt like I was chopping it out of the rough or bunkers most of the day.”

He continued, “I had it going there for the first ten holes, then as I turned for home, the wind started to pick up and the course got more difficult.”

In 2019, McIlroy hit his tee shot out of bounds on his way to an eight. This time he got off the tee okay, but missed a short putt for par on his way to a bogey. Still, better than last time.

On the first tee nerves, he said, “When you walk onto the tee, no matter what you’ve done and what your achievements are, you’re still going to feel nervous.”

“You’ve got the support of a country behind you, which is wonderful, it’s an amazing feeling. But at the same time, you don’t want to let them down.

“It was nice to get that first tee shot out of the way. It was in the left rough, but not quite as left as last time. Bit of a shaky start, I missed a short putt on one, but bounced back straight away and as I said, a really solid start.”

Now he has settled into the tournament, he is in a position to make a run at what would be an incredible home Open win.