Rory McIlroy to celebrate a special day with dad at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Rory McIlroy is currently participating in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, where he’s competing on three renowned links courses alongside his father, Gerry McIlroy. This prestigious event on the DP World Tour features two parallel competitions: the professional tournament and the team championship. Rory has teamed up with his father for the team championship, making the event even more special.

After completing the first round of the tournament at the Carnoustie Golf Course, Rory McIlroy shared his reflections on playing with his father. In an interview, he humorously acknowledged that Gerry didn’t play his best game, yet managed to outperform Rory by two strokes. He noted there was “room for improvement for both of the McIlroys,” but expressed how meaningful it was to compete alongside his dad. Their partnership takes on an extra layer of significance as Gerry’s 65th birthday approaches, with Rory looking forward to celebrating the occasion by playing together at the historic Old Course at St. Andrews.

Reflecting on his own performance, Rory shot a 3-under 69 during the first round. While he was satisfied with parts of his game, he admitted that he had a slow start. His front nine, which was the back nine of the course, went well, though he missed several scoring opportunities. On the back nine, his play became somewhat inconsistent, but overall, he was pleased to have played Carnoustie in near-perfect conditions, even if he felt he didn’t fully capitalize on them.

At the end of the first round, McIlroy found himself in 73rd place on the leaderboard, eight shots behind the tournament leader.

Looking ahead to the next round, Rory shared his thoughts on the Kingsbarns course, where weather conditions will play a crucial role in determining how the day unfolds. He mentioned that playing Carnoustie early in the event was a relief, especially since the conditions were so favorable. However, McIlroy noted that Kingsbarns has historically seen low scores when the weather is good, and he plans to take full advantage of that in his second round. His goal is to post a strong score and improve his position in the tournament.

McIlroy is set to play the second round at Kingsbarns, teeing off early in the morning with fellow golfer Billy Horschel. Their round begins at 5:39 a.m. ET. Rory remains hopeful for a strong performance in the coming days as he competes both in the professional tournament and alongside his father in the team championship.