Rory McIlroy will be roared on in his homeland as the 153rd British Open gets underway at Royal Portrush on Thursday as world number one Scottie Scheffler seeks his first Claret Jug.The world number three has not won a tournament since lifting the Claret Jug a year ago and has not even managed a top-five finish in 12 tournaments this year.

The last time the British Open came to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy missed the cut. Will he claim his second major of the year this time around?

World number one Scottie Scheffler made a fine start to the British Open with a three-under par round at a rain-swept Royal Portrush on Thursday before home favourite Rory McIlroy began his tournament in front of huge crowds.

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.

Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the site of Shane Lowry's triumph in 2019. As has been the case all year, the strong favorites entering the tournament are Scottie Scheffler (9/2) and Rory McIlroy (7-1).

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy was younger and less seasoned mentally than he is now. He had no idea what to expect when he stepped to the first tee in the opening round of the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush, a golf course in Northern Ireland located 60 miles from his boyhood home on which he set the course record as a 16-year-old.

The crowds following Rory McIlroy for three days at Royal Portrush have been enormous, a reminder of the expectations. On banners and flags and buntings of grandstands there are images of the claret jug,

The simplest one is to wager on the in-form golfers, a list led by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy may get the nod over Scheffler in some circles this week because he's playing on home soil at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.