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.

On Monday, golfer Rory McIlroy walked over to spectators wanting his autograph, including on one large flag of his native Northern Ireland. He returns home to be celebrated as much as the fans want to see him end a more special year on a spectacular note at the British Open.

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.