McIlroy said Monday that he was overwhelmed by the reception he received six years ago in his home of Northern Ireland. Now a Grand Slam winner, he's ready for this week's championship.

The field also includes 49 of the world's top 50 players, from Scottie Scheffler to Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, 16 past winners, and 19 top players from the Liv Golf, the Arab Super League.

A two-story mural depicting a precocious Rory McIlroy in 2012 has seen such better days that you can barely tell it is the Grand Slam golfer anymore

So here is our final major big board of the year, ranking the top 30 golfers in the field. This is not simply the 30 best golfers in a vacuum. These are the 30 golfers that our crack team of Gabby Herzig, Hugh Kellenberger and Brody Miller believe are best suited to win this week at Royal Portrush.

Rory McIlroy grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and learned to play golf at Holywood Golf Club. I visited and took the "McIlroy Tour."

Rory McIlroy is back at Royal Portrush for the Masters and admits he was taken aback by the volume of support he received when he played in his homeland six years ago

While Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph earned him a long-awaited career grand slam, a home Open Championship win at Royal Portrush could be even more emotion for the North Irishman.

Rory McIlroy is hoping to "bookend" the season with a victory at The Open, which would see him claim the first and last major title of the year

Rory McIlroy attended the Association of Golf Writers dinner on Tuesday evening and was decked out in green — Masters green.