Portrush, Northern Ireland – As the Northern Ireland sun smashed the link below him, Rory McIlroy stood at Teebox No. 17, one of the top points of the Royal Portrush, to take part in the Open Championship scene.
To his left was a hillside with many fans hoping to get a glimpse of his tee shot. To his right, more fans were pressed against the rope, trying to get a little closer. McIlroy allowed himself a smile while he waited for him to hit. The chant began soon.
“Rolly! Rolly! Rolly!”
They went on all day long – when he made a birdie in the opening hole, he tapped for another birdie in 2, and when he hit his approach shot on the fourth of a par 4 and started 4-3 under, they were still louder when he slammed loudly all week. Eight holes later, on the 12th, the noise reached its climax. McIlroy’s 56-foot Eagle Putt was tilted to the bottom of the hole. Fist pump. Round sound. This was the moment they were all waiting for.
“The roaring sound when this ball was in was crazy. It was crazy all day, but the noise after that putt was incredible,” McIlroy said. “It was a really cool moment…it could be one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had on a golf course.”
All day long, thousands of fans, from Northern Ireland or even more, appeared to carry McIlroy from hall to hall. There was birdies or bogeys and noise.
Every turn, passing through sand dunes and crosswalks, crowded hills and gathering locations, the crowd reminded us that it was the main event of the week and the main event. Outside the hotel next to the fourth fairway, a group of workers all stood on one file line and saw McIlroy pass. Next to the fifth green, fans were able to climb from the nearby beach to the top of the dune for a glimpse of the action.
If McIlroy could hit that 17th tee, his shot found the right gallery. One fan picked up his ball – anything to get closer to his hometown hero. While standing among the pack of his followers, McIlroy replaced it, landing safely in the green, lined up tough approaches filmed on top of the greenside bunker. He walked forward, and a crowd split like the Red Sea reshaped him behind him, becoming the second largest.
“Rolly! Rolly! Rolly!”
At various points throughout Saturday, the dream of victory for their homecoming to McIlroy felt alive. Yet, during moments of insanity, the most inevitable power of sport loomed in silence.
Please enter Scottie Scheffler.
The 17th and 13th greens of the Royal Portrush were connected, and Schaeffler stood on the hill on the other side when McIlroy stalked the birdie putt. Schaeffler’s tee shot has landed – where else? – Pin height. McIlroy had been stealing glimpses on the scoreboard throughout the day to see where he was standing. This time, the harsh reality of what he was opposed was staring at him immediately.
“Scotty Schaeffler – that’s inevitable,” McIlroy said. “Even when he doesn’t have his best. He’s very solid. He doesn’t make any mistakes.”
Schaeffler made a par at 13 and added another birdie to the Calamity Corner. Not Schaeffler. He birded it all for three days.
“There doesn’t seem to be any weaknesses there,” McIlroy said. “Whenever you’re trying to chase a guy like that, it’s hard to do that.”
McIlroy’s dreams aren’t the only thing Schaeffler is foiling. Matthew Fitzpatrick returns on Sunday and has a five-shot. He only had one shot back to start the day. Russell Henry shot 65 on Saturday, while Xander Schaufele shot 66. Both have seven shots, and it feels like a long shot towards Sunday.
“When I see Scotty play a lot, he just does his thing and looks black to me. He’s just in his world and doesn’t bother him,” Schaufele said. “He gets to the place frequently, which is good for him.”
“He’s incredible,” Harris English said. “I can’t say anything wrong about the guy. It’s impressive to see and what he’s doing is incredible.”
Even Haotong Li, who didn’t go away and shot the 69 rounds that placed four shots in the final group on Sunday, was forced to admit his position.
“It’s like a 4 shot in the back, a second play,” Li said. “Especially playing in the world’s number one”
As players are forced to recognize Schaeffler’s exceptional performances, they are almost unsure about how Schaeffler himself will downplay them at every stage. An objective example of his own greatness, the fact that he closed nine straight 54 holes leads, even when Schaeffler shrugged.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Schaeffler said to the question of why he is so effectively approaching. “I like being here.”
Lamenting the whimsical nature of winning as he did earlier this week, Schaeffler’s obsession with competition brought him to where everyone is chased while chasing history, a comparison of the ghosts of golf’s past, Tiger Forest, which continues to lose steam. Sunday’s victory will make Schaeffler the fourth player to win the Open, Masters and PGA Championship before his 30th birthday. The last one would do that was in the forest.
McIlroy and everyone else behind him must believe they will control their destiny on Sunday. But in reality, their hopes depend on the performance of a man who defeats his dreams for a living.
