McIlroy arrives in good touch. He finished 13-under-par at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, sharing second behind Chris Gotterup, and was straight into a practice round early on Monday morning after a four-hour sleep.
Eleven years have passed since McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool and believers in fate may note that The 143rd Open finished on 20 July, the same day action wraps up in Royal Portrush.
Unlike each of his previous nine pre-Championship press conferences, McIlroy did not have to spend this one fielding questions about when he was going to win his next major.
Instead, the inevitable and imponderable queries surrounded how McIlroy can raise himself to go again after achieving a lifetime ambition.
“I think everyone could see over the last couple of months how I struggled with that,” he said.
“I’ve done something that I’ve told everyone that I wanted to do, but then I still feel like I have a lot more to give. Talk about the pressure being off, yes, but anyone that sits up here at this table, we’re all competitors.
“We all want to do better. We all think we can just get a little bit extra out of what we have.
“It has been an amazing year. The fact that I’m here at Portrush with the Green Jacket, having completed that lifelong dream, I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way, enjoy the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them.
“But at the same time, I want to win this golf tournament, and I feel like I’m very capable of doing that.”
To do so, he plans to throw himself into the goldfish bowl that could become this small corner of his homeland this week.