Five of the last six Open Championship winners have had opening odds of +2000 or longer, including two of the past five victors having odds of +8000 or longer, in the major that has produced some of the most surprising winners in recent years.

IRELAND has been in the golfing spotlight this year, especially after Rory McIlroy’s Masters win, putting him in an exclusive group of golfers to have won every Major and the Open Championship once again gracing these shores.

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.

That feat was last achieved by Tiger Woods in 2005, when Woods won his fourth Green Jacket in a sudden‑death playoff at Augusta and then went on to dominate The Open at St Andrews, firing rounds of 66‑67‑71‑70 for a 274 (−14) total to win by five strokes.

Rory McIlroy reflected on the pressure of the upcoming Open Championship taking place in his homeland. The 2025 Open Championship venue is the Dunluce course, located at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Open is the final tournament before the Open Championship and has a strong field for some links golf.

Rory McIlroy, a Northern Ireland native, played by himself early Monday at Royal Portrush, seeing the course for the first time since 2019.

McIlroy was born just 62 miles from the site of the 153rd Open Championship and set a new course record of 61 at Dunluce Road when he was just 16-years-old, so expectations were through the roof when he returned to his old haunt for the only major this side of the Atlantic in 2019.

The PGA Tour's next stop is the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open after the completion of the John Deere Classic, where Brian Campbell won the tournament.