'mcilroy's Got It Going, You Need To See This' - Rory's Portrush Record

"It was conscionable unbelievable. He's evidently an absolute superstar now but, truth beryllium told, he was a superstar successful nan making aft that day."

It is 20 years ago, almost to nan day, that a 16-year-old Rory McIlroy breezed information Royal Portrush - venue for this week's 153rd Open Championship - successful 61 shots to group a caller people record.

Aaron O'Callaghan was 1 of McIlroy's playing partners that time and says that nan curly-haired teen went to "the adjacent level" complete those 18 holes.

The Cork autochthonal is now coach of East Tennessee State University - nan institution McIlroy had chosen to be earlier deciding to move master alternatively - and remembers nan number of group watching nan information swell arsenic connection sewage out.

O'Callaghan first encountered his early Ireland team-mate erstwhile McIlroy was still successful superior schoolhouse and was struck by nan conception of gathering a world champion of immoderate age.

"I retrieve thinking, 'like not conscionable Northern Ireland? Not conscionable Ireland? The champion successful nan world?' And it's conscionable this kid who's grinning from receptor to ear," he told BBC Sport.

That was earlier he saw him pinch a nine successful his hand.

"He swung nan aforesaid measurement he does now. You're watching him pinch his small trim down driver aliases trim down 7 wood and he's conscionable ne'er missing nan centre of nan nine face.

"Always correct connected nan button, nary toed slappers to nan left-side of nan fairway. Just flush."

O'Callaghan would go some a friend and regular playing partner successful nan years that followed and recalls being "flattered" to beryllium paired alongside McIlroy and different pal, Stephen Crowe, astatine nan North of Ireland Championship successful July 2005.

On nan first time of nan prestigious competition, a level-par people astir nan adjacent Valley people meant O'Callaghan had nan amended of McIlroy by a stroke. Then came nan information that changed it all.

McIlroy had first played nan celebrated Dunluce links to observe his 10th birthday. Around nan aforesaid time he was interviewed by BBC NI and stated his purpose to triumph 'all of nan majors'.

His 3 nether par connected nan beforehand 9 of nan 2nd time astatine nan North was noteworthy, but hardly foretold a information that would spell into lore.

"I was focused connected my ain crippled for nan beforehand 9 and playing rather nicely. I was benignant of successful it," says O'Callaghan.

McIlroy past eagled nan 10th to move to 5 under.

"Walking down nan 11th, they've moved nan people astir a spot now, but it was a par 3 down nan hill, and I retrieve him hitting a bully changeable successful and Stevie turned to maine and said 'Rors has sewage it going today' and, to beryllium honest, I'd hardly noticed.

"I knew he was playing well, but I didn't realise he was 5 under.

"From astir past I stopped reasoning astir my crippled and started looking astatine what he was doing."

Along pinch virtually everyone other connected nan course.

A quirk of nan tie ensured nan people grounds holder Randal Evans was successful nan group behind, fixed a beforehand statement spot to spot his people bettered by 3 strokes.

Like O'Callaghan, Evans had known McIlroy for years by nan summertime of 2005.

That time successful Portrush he remembers being struck by a alteration successful nan prodigy.

"He dressed otherwise than everybody else. He dressed arsenic if he was already a circuit pro," said Evans.

"He conscionable looked class. Wearing achromatic shoes, achromatic trousers, nan achromatic t-shirt, this pinkish loop and hat.

"That only comes from being that bully and that confident."

As connection dispersed astir McIlroy's score, nan watching crowd swelled astir nan group pinch his playing partners emotion progressively for illustration spectators themselves.

"Rory would person had a pursuing anyplace successful Ireland. Wherever he went astatine that point, if you sewage drawn pinch him, location mightiness beryllium 20 guys there, conscionable group from nan nine who wanted to watch him play," said O'Callaghan.

"We started pinch those 20 aliases 25 guys, but group were evidently calling each different and saying, 'McIlroy's sewage it going here, you request to spot this'. It went from 20 to 50 to 100 very quickly.

"Coming down nan aged 16th, location was conscionable this activity of group coming towards us. There must've been 1,000 group and Stevie and myself, astatine this constituent were conscionable passengers successful nan round."

When he group his ain record, Evans remembers emotion nan nerves arsenic he reached nan 18th needing a par to eclipse nan past modular group by early three-time awesome victor and Ryder Cup skipper Padraig Harrington.

In contrast, arsenic nan unit ramped up, O'Callaghan sensed McIlroy relished nan attention.

The 36-year-old made headlines astatine Augusta this twelvemonth for not addressing his final-round playing partner Bryson DeChambeau, but O'Callaghan saw nan aforesaid singular attraction moreover then.

"The much group that were there, you could spot his attraction spell to nan adjacent level, he was now successful his element," he said.

"It wasn't that he was showing off, but for illustration he was going to entertain and really put connected a show.

"He sewage into that area aliases travel that group talk astir and you could astir apt propulsion an orangish astatine his caput and he wouldn't blink."

If Evans felt McIlroy looked for illustration a circuit subordinate that day, O'Callaghan remembers him celebrating 1 for illustration too.

Five consecutive birdies to decorativeness his information gave nan watching crowd what they had hoped for pinch a monster putt connected nan 18th providing nan exclamation constituent to nan portion of history.

"It was 1 of those benignant of moments that we were watching connected TV astatine nan clip pinch Tiger Woods wherever arsenic soon arsenic nan putt near nan blade, you could conscionable spot this point for illustration a magnet to nan hole, rotation aft rotation aft roll," he said.

"Rory, you could spot it successful his eyes. He knows that he's making it correct disconnected nan bat, and he's sewage nan putter up and he's fresh to spell pinch nan fist pump, giving it nan full lot.

"It didn't moreover touch nan sides of nan hole. Electric."

McIlroy was interviewed nan adjacent time by BBC NI and said it was nan first bogey-free competitory information of his life. In 2019, he said he could still retrieve each shot.

From nan 17th, Evans heard nan cheer that signalled his grounds had been beaten pinch nan navigation of nan people ensuring location was to beryllium an almost figurative arsenic good arsenic literal passing of nan torch.

"He had to travel stepping down past maine and I says '61?' and he conscionable says 'yeah, Randy', for illustration why wouldn't he beryllium shooting a 61 information there, you know?" said Evans.

"I changeable 64 and that was years of believe and a bully information of golf. Think of each nan awesome golfers who person played Portrush and not hit that, tens of thousands of rounds a year.

"Rory was 16 years of property and changeable a 61 astatine his leisure. Cockiness aliases confidence, immoderate it was was conscionable oozing retired of him."

Of course, McIlroy would later study that nan crippled of play will dent moreover nan antecedently unshakable assurance of nan very best. For each his talent and successes, McIlroy connects pinch fans successful portion because of each he has endured alongside his historical feats.

From nan Sunday 80 erstwhile starring nan Masters by 4 successful 2011, done to handing nan US Open to DeChambeau past year, pinch stalled awesome charges astatine St Andrews and Los Angeles Country Club successful between, location person been plentifulness of days that could person slowed that acquainted stride up nan fairways arsenic if location were "springs successful his shoes" that O'Callaghan saw moreover successful his earliest days.

Such moments person allowed moreover 1 of nan astir preternaturally talented athletes of his procreation to show a quality broadside too.

Perhaps McIlroy was astatine his astir earthy aft his precocious tally to make nan trim came up short erstwhile The Open returned to Royal Portrush successful 2019. An 8 connected nan opening spread of nan title group an unwanted reside and he was near fighting backmost tears aft his second-round 65 was not capable to bent astir for nan weekend.

If he hit nan people into submission successful 2005, Portrush spot backmost successful 2019.

What measurement will things spell arsenic McIlroy returns location this week successful hunt of awesome number six?

"Rory, obviously, is simply a different convention altogether now," says Evans.

"Missing nan trim past clip was a monolithic daze but, Rory's Rory - he'll hole that this clip around, I'm sure."