Before Rory McIlroy became one of the biggest names in golf, he was a teenage prodigy from Northern Ireland making waves in the sport.
McIlroy’s legend peaked in 2005, when he played one of the best rounds in golf history in the Northern Ireland Championship at Royal Portrush. Just a teenager at the time, McIlroy dominated the back nine of a course that has hosted the British Open, completing a round that is still talked about.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt in the zone,” McIlroy said, via GolfWeek. “Ever since, when I get 7-, 8-, 9-under in a round, I’ve never been afraid to push it further.”
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What makes this record so impressive is how difficult a course Royal Portrush has been over its history. A host to multiple British Open tournaments, the Dunluce course at Royal Portrush is arguably the toughest course in North of Ireland and one of a handful of courses in The Open Championship rotation.
Here’s a look back at McIlroy’s record-setting day.
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Rory McIlroy record at Royal Portrush
In 2005, when he was 16 years old and playing in the North of Ireland Championship, Rory McIlroy set the course record at Royal Portrush by shooting a bogey-free 61 in the second round of the qualifiers. McIlroy shot a 71 at the Valley course in the first round before setting the record at the Dunluce course, the more famous and tougher of the two.
Previously, the Royal Portrush course record was 64, and McIlroy cleared that bar by three shots.
McIlroy had one birdie in his first five holes, and two in his first seven, before catching fire. After securing a birdie on the ninth hole, McIlroy either birdied or eagled seven of the nine holes on the back nine, scoring an incredible 28 going out. According to McIlroy himself, it was also the first bogey-free round of his career.
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“There are not many golf rounds where I remember every shot but for that round, I do,” McIlroy said. “I knew the record was 64. Once I got to nine-under through 16, I thought if I could par the remaining two and set the new record that would be pretty special.”
Aaron O’Callaghan played with McIlroy that day, and while he was mainly focused on his own game for the front, he quickly shifted gears to McIlroy on the back.
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“It was one of those kinds of moments that we were watching on TV at the time with Tiger Woods where as soon as the putt left the blade, you could just see this thing like a magnet to the hole, roll after roll after roll,” O’Callaghan said, via BBC. “Rory, you could see it in his eyes. He knows that he’s making it right off the bat, and he’s got the putter up and he’s ready to go with the fist pump, giving it the whole lot. It didn’t even touch the sides of the hole. Electric.”
Randal Evans, who held the course record 64 at the time, was in the group behind McIlroy, which made the moment even more surreal.Â
“I shot 64 and that was years of practice and a good round of golf. Think of all the great golfers who have played Portrush and not beat that, tens of thousands of rounds a year,” Evans said. “Rory was 16 years of age and shot a 61 at his leisure. Cockiness or confidence, whatever it was was just oozing out of him.”
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Rory McIlroy’s Royal Portrush course record scorecard
| Hole | Par | Score |
| 1. | 4 | 4 |
| 2. | 5 | 4 |
| 3. | 3 | 3 |
| 4. | 4 | 4 |
| 5. | 4 | 4 |
| 6. | 3 | 2 |
| 7. | 4 | 4 |
| 8. | 4 | 4 |
| 9. | 5 | 4 |
| Front | 36 | 33 |
| 10. | 5 | 3 |
| 11. | 3 | 2 |
| 12. | 4 | 4 |
| 13. | 4 | 4 |
| 14. | 3 | 2 |
| 15. | 4 | 3 |
| 16. | 4 | 3 |
| 17. | 4 | 3 |
| 18. | 5 | 4 |
| Back | 36 | 28 |
| Total | 72 | 61 |
How old was Rory McIlroy when he set Royal Portrush record?
Rory McIlroy was 16 years old when he shot 61 at Royal Portrush to set the course record.
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Who holds the course record at Royal Portrush?
Rory McIlroy holds the course record at Royal Portrush, but that was before the course was renovated.
Ahead of the 2019 British Open, its first time hosting the event since 1951, Portrush underwent changes that altered the way the Dunluce course played, with some holes being added and others being shifted. Therefore, McIlroy’s course record at the pre-renovated course will stand the test of time.
Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship, in which he shot a 63 on Saturday to set the course record at the newer version of the course.
