Mcilroy Getting 'even Better' With Age - Clarke

Former champion Darren Clarke is predicting a "really, really strong" showing from Rory McIlroy astatine nan 153rd Open Championship astatine Royal Portrush adjacent week.

The world number 2 missed nan trim astatine nan aforesaid venue successful 2019 but has continued to rack up wins successful nan years since, astir notably completing nan profession Grand Slam pinch triumph astatine nan Masters successful April.

The triumph successful a play-off astatine Augusta ended an almost 11-year hold for McIlroy's 5th awesome pinch nan 36-year-old from Northern Ireland having endured immoderate heartbreaking adjacent misses done nan period.

Clarke, however, believes his compatriot is amended for those experiences.

"I don't cognize if astir group understand really large a woody it was for him to triumph nan Grand Slam and to beryllium only nan sixth personification successful history to really do it," Clarke, who won nan Open astatine Royal St. George's successful 2011, told BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson.

"Hard to opportunity it but he's an moreover amended subordinate now than he was backmost successful those days [2019].

"He's been done everything, he's sewage much experience. Rory doesn't request immoderate much - he's done it each - but I deliberation I'd beryllium looking for a really, really beardown week from Rory."

At Royal Portrush, McIlroy, who is successful nan section astatine nan Scottish Open this week, will beryllium playing successful beforehand of a location crowd for nan first clip since earning his antecedently elusive Green Jacket, a triumph that Clarke believes elevates him to nan position of Northern Ireland's top sportsperson.

"You put Rory up location pinch nan astir celebrated group from Northern Ireland, sporting people, successful caller history. You person George Best, Dame Mary Peters up location [but] Rory to maine is possibly moreover supra them.

"He's probably, successful my opinion, nan champion sportsperson we've ever had from Northern Ireland and, for him to execute what he's achieved, to travel present and play, it's conscionable incredible.

"We've sewage nan biggest tourney successful nan world pinch nan latest Grand Slam champion - it conscionable doesn't get immoderate better."

Clarke besides has precocious hopes for 22-year-old Tom McKibbin who, for illustration McIlroy, learned nan crippled astatine Holywood Golf Club.

McKibbin plays his play connected nan LIV circuit aft joining nan Legion XIII squad of John Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton successful January, but he will beryllium successful nan section astatine an Open Championship for nan 2nd clip adjacent week.

"His talent is unquestionable. I deliberation he's sewage a immense early successful beforehand of him," said Clarke, who practiced pinch McKibbin past week.

"Whether nan LIV point gets resolved aliases not astatine immoderate stage, and hopefully it will get resolved, Tom's shot striking was arsenic adjacent to anybody's I've ever seen to Rory. I mean, it really was.

"He's a awesome young man. He behaves himself astir apt a batch much than I utilized to. He doesn't drink. He's very, very focused connected what he's doing but I was truthful impressed pinch him."