PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- The eyes of a nation were upon him, despite Rory McIlroy's contention that he was just part of the show, not the center of attention, treating it like any of the other Opens played over the past dozen years.
A raucous, packed grandstand of spectators greeted him as he strode to the first tee at Royal Portrush, and sure it was impossible to think of this moment as anything but special for a player who honed his game in these parts and admitted it was surreal to see the sport's oldest championship come to this region of the world.