Rory McIlroy starts international stretch with title defense at Irish Open

Two hundred sixty miles from where he first learned the game, across the border of the Republic of Ireland, down south on the Clare Coast, Rory McIlroy is teeing it up at his national open in Doonbeg. It's a homecoming, in a way, for McIlroy, though the last time he'd been to this part of the Emerald Isle was "over 20 years ago."

McIlroy is from Holywood, Northern Ireland. For a man on a golf odyssey who has been everywhere, won everything, and is known by everyone, this island is where he feels at home.

McIlroy has won the Amgen Irish Open twice, in 2016 and 2025, both at the K Club. Last year was an emotional win for the Ulsterman, as he sunk a dramatic, 28-foot eagle putt to force a playoff with Joakim Lagergren, whom he eventually bested on the third hole of sudden-death. Coming only months after he completed the elusive career Grand Slam, McIlroy described winning his home country's open in retrospect on Wednesday as a "magical weekend" and "very fulfilling."

His home Open means so much to him that he has gone as far as lobbying for its champion to receive a Masters invite, saying Wednesday that he "spoke to [Augusta National] Chairman Ridley about this a lot. … I think, hopefully, at some point, it's inevitable that that would become a reality."

McIlroy has always been a global player, but remarked that in recent years he's redoubled his efforts to "really focus on this part of the season."

This year, he vies for his fifth consecutive Race to Dubai title, and also attempts to equal Colin Montgomerie's all-time record of eight.

McIlroy described this tournament stretch of the Irish Open, the BMW PGA at Wentworth (only miles from where he now lives,) the Middle East swing, and the Australian Open, as "very meaningful to me."

As for the current state of his game, McIlroy's trending in the right direction, coming off a T-4 in his last start at the Tour Championship after struggling at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

"I played Memphis and played very poorly, and was looking at my swing on video and just didn't like where it was," he said.

In the aftermath, he decided to make swing changes, explaining: "not changes that are unfamiliar to me. Changes that I've had to do before."

As McIlroy returns to his homeland this week hoping to lift the trophy again, it's the perfect time and place for those familiar changes to take shape.

Check out full TV and streaming details for every round of the DP World Tour's Amgen Irish Open.