Rory McIlroy admittedly can’t recall many shot-by-shot accounts of his rounds.
“But for that round, I do,” McIlroy said during a May sit-down with TheOpen.com.
McIlroy is referring to the 11-under 61 he shot as a 16-year-old playing in the 2005 North of Ireland Championship at Royal Portrush. The round smashed the previous course record of 64, and though the Dunluce links layout has been altered since, many still consider McIlroy’s score to be the course’s benchmark.
“I knew the record was 64,” said McIlroy, who birdied just one of his first five holes before catching fire with eagle at the par-5 10th hole.