It was not quite the glorious homecoming Rory McIlroy had dared to dream of on his return to Royal Portrush but it felt like redemption for Northern Ireland's favourite sporting son after the heartbreak of six years ago.

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.

PGA Tour pro Wyndham Clark remained tight-lipped at The Open after getting suspended from Oakmont Country Club.

By the time Rory McIlroy finished his first practice round for the British Open at Royal Portrush, a big crowd that weathered rain and sunshine was waiting to see him finish.

This is about the Open, a championship in its 153rd year. And it’s about Portrush, a seasonal town of 6,000 or so, one with a Ferris wheel and a long swath of beach, and dogs off leashes, and a gem of a links course that’s carved its place in the Open rota. And it’s about Irish golf.

“Rory did win,” said Brian McDermott, from Moville, Co Donegal. “He brought the Open to Portrush. The Open would not be here without him, so that is a win. “Six years ago, he missed the cut, so to get him, and to watch him, and to see him finish – that is a win.

When the Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2019, a great deal of ink was spent explaining why it hadn’t visited Northern Ireland in 68 years.

Scottie Scheffler took home a joint-record winner’s cheque after sealing his first Open at Royal Portrush on Sunday evening, but Rory McIlroy also secured another healthy payout following a tied seventh-placed finish.