Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.

HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland — Two decades before Rory McIlroy’s career-defining triumph, when he finally conquered his Masters demons with an emotional rollercoaster of a win at Augusta National, he did, in fact, already own a green jacket.

As a 16-year-old at the 2005 North of Ireland Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, Rory McIlroy shot a course record 61. That was the old course, before redesign. It's a course he recognizes only parts of now.

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

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.

What time does Rory McIlroy tee off at The Open? Start times, how to watch, prize money and latest odds - Masters champion targeting second career Claret Jug on home turf in Northern Ireland

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