The Open notebook: Rory McIlroy's major prep, Jon Rahm's photobombing, Shane Lowry's return and more stories from Royal Portrush

Sky Sports News’ Jamie Weir pick out six storylines from the practice days ahead of The Open, including Rory McIlroy’s prep for a home major win, Jon Rahm surprising fans in a Portrush bar and the players already making headlines at Royal Portrush…

Happy McIlroy embraces love of home fans

So many people expected Rory McIlroy’s victory The Masters in Augusta to be a weight lifted from his shoulders, including I think the man himself.

That without the burden of chasing that next major, of chasing that career Grand Slam, he’d be able to free-wheel and – in his own words – play with house money. Instead, we’ve seen something of the opposite.

In the last couple of majors he’s looked unmotivated at times and questioned what his next dream is. Winning his second Claret Jug – in his home country, in front of his adoring fans – would certainly be that dream.

I think McIlroy was fed up with the week-to-week grind on the PGA Tour and life in the United States but being back this side of the pond has rejuvenated him. He has got a smile on his face and that bounce back in his step this week.

In 2019 he tried to block out the enormity of playing in an Open Championship just an hour up the road from where he’s from, but this year he seems to be embracing it and embracing the love he’s going to feel from the galleries when he tees off at 3.10pm on Thursday afternoon.

McKibbin ready to impress on home soil

While there’ll be so many eyeballs on McIlroy, understandably, and Royal Portrush member Darren Clarke will have the fans cheering from him, it’s perhaps the third Northern Irishman – and the most unheralded of the three – who may fancy his chances of doing something remarkable.

Tom McKibbin played a practice round with McIlroy and Clarke on Tuesday, picked their brains around the Dunluce Links and from what I saw in the few holes I walked with them, was striking the ball beautifully.

He’s coming in having shot the lowest round of the week at Valderrama on LIV Golf, is full of confidence, and crucially begins his campaign in the first group out on Thursday morning when conditions will be at their most benign.

McKibbin can get out on an empty golf course and perhaps get a low score on the card before getting in, having a second breakfast, putting his feet up and watching conditions worsen for the later starters. He may well be worth a punt for a place, or certainly as a possible first-round leader.

Relaxed Rahm to challenge for major victory?

Jon Rahm is my tip and there are many reasons why I fancy him to get his hands on that Claret Jug come Sunday evening and complete the third leg of the career Grand Slam.

Primarily is the fact that he’s had success in this part of the world, just next door when the Irish Open was at Portstewart. He also won an Irish Open at Lahinch, so he’s shown that he can master links golf on the Emerald Isle.

He’s arriving in pretty decent form, coming off a runner-up finish in Valderrama on LIV last week. You can’t get many courses that are more polar opposites than Valderrama and Royal Portrush, but nonetheless he’s put in the practice this week and I think he’s chomping at the bit to get out there.

A fire was relit in Rahm at the PGA Championship just a couple of months ago. Despite a few dropped shots in his closing holes and Scottie Scheffler winning at a canter, you could see in his eyes when he spoke to the media afterwards that he had loved being back in the heat of major battle.

Last night, I was enjoying some drinks with pals at the Harbour Bar. While taking a photo of them, they were suddenly photobombed by who? Well, by the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters champion, Rahm, sticking his head into the side of the shot and creating a wonderful moment.

That photo has now gone viral on social media. He’s coming in relaxed and in great form this week – the sort of attitude that is important to take out onto the links. I fancy big Jon to go one better than he did when he finished runner-up to Brian Harman at Hoylake.

Lowry ‘sharp as ever’ for Portrush return

2019 was truly remarkable. Who can forget those incredible images of Shane Lowry walking up the 72nd hole, in the teeming rain, when it seemed as if the entire island had all descended upon the North Atlantic coast to cheer him home.

I spoke to him at the start of the week and he said he doesn’t feel as if he is the defending champion in any way, shape or form. Xander Schauffele is of course the defending champion. Six years is a long time, and he’s changed both as a person and as a golfer since 2019.

On Monday, he was keen to stress to me that one of the things he had in his favour six years ago was that all eyeballs were on Rory, and he was able to come in somewhat under the radar. This year, he certainly isn’t under the radar.

He’s playing some scintillating golf and although he isn’t arriving in the greatest of form, I think that goes out of the window when it comes to an Open Championship and links golf, especially around a course where you’ve already had success.

On the practice days, he’s looking as sharp as I’ve ever seen him. He has got a smile on his face, a bounce in his step and he is chomping at the bit to get going on Thursday.

Jordan destined for top-10 threepeat?!

Any punters who fancy a little bit of each-way value, what about a fiver on Matthew Jordan? I have to say, one of my favourite stories at both of the last two Opens have revolved around him.

In 2023 at Hoylake, where he is a member, he hit the opening tee shot and – three days later – sank a birdie part on the 72nd hole to finish in the top 10 and qualify for the following year at Royal Troon.

Then, last year at Royal Troon, he was the only player in the field to not have a single round over par – his rounds of 71, 71, 71. And 71. Yes, remarkably, four even-par rounds saw him finish in the top 10 again and therefore qualify for this year’s contest.

Wouldn’t it be something remarkable if he was to bag another top-10 finish and book his place at Royal Birkdale, just up the coast from where he’s from, next year?!

An amateur ace and other special stories

What is so special and so unique about The Open is some of the weirder, quirkier and more remarkable stories that it throws up. Being an Open Championship, it is literally open for anyone to enter and some of the stories from qualifiers this week are remarkable.

Richard Teder of Estonia holed out from the fairway in the first hole of a play-off in Final Qualifying to get into The Open, becoming the first man from his country – which only boasts seven golf courses in total – to play in a major championship.

Filip Jakubik is an amateur playing in the Open Championship this year and I was on the sixth hole just a couple of days ago when during a practice round he had a hole-in-one. Sadly, there was no one around other than his caddie to give a high five to.

And what about the story of Ryan Peake, the New Zealand Open Champion earlier this year? The 32-year-old from Perth, Australia was a contemporary of Cameron Smith but fell out of love with the game and instead fell in with a biker gang.

He was arrested for assault, charged and convicted to five years in one of Australia’s toughest prisons. It was while in there that he had an epiphany and decided he needed to turn his life around. His coach helped him begin plotting life after jail and here he is playing in an Open.

A truly remarkable story.

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