Rory McIlroy may not have been victorious at Royal Portrush, but the Masters champion teased his scintillating best with the Ryder Cup on the golfing horizon following the final men’s major of the year.

The Northern Irishman finished The 153rd Open tied for seventh at 10-under after a week in which he had delighted his home crowd with glimpses of a return to form, including a standout third-round 66.

McIlroy has struggled for momentum since completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta earlier this year, but placed tied for second at the Scottish Open last week before putting himself in contention at Portrush, where an inspired Scottie Scheffler came out on top.

The 36-year-old was left encouraged by his renewed sharpness between the ropes.

“Yeah, I do (feel good), but I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn’t quite on his game,” said McIlroy.

“But I do, I feel good. I feel like being back in Europe for a bit was a nice reset. I feel like I’m getting back to where I want to be, and we’ve still got a lot of golf left this year with obviously Ryder Cup being the big one in there in September.

“And just make sure I’m – I don’t want to play too much leading up to that because I want to be fresh. So I’m looking forward to a few weeks off here.

“I’ll reflect on what’s been already a good year and start to get myself ready for that run up to the Ryder Cup.”

McIlroy was greeted by a raucous atmosphere as he made his way up the 18th green on Sunday, having been followed by comfortably the largest gallery throughout the week at Portrush.

He had alluded to the task of rediscovering his ‘why?’ in recent weeks in light of his long-awaited Masters victory. Perhaps this was a reminder of just that.

“I tried as best as I could to keep my emotions in check, especially walking up the last there and that reception,” said McIlroy.

“Yeah, look, it’s been an awesome week. I’ve gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a Claret Jug, and that’s just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.

“It’s been an amazing week. I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this, I get to do this in front of this crowd.

“Hopefully I’ll have one or two Opens left here, if the R&A decide to keep coming back, probably one while I’m still competitive and another one while I’m more grey than I already am.

“It’s just been incredible to come back here and to play and at least feel like I had a chance today going out there. Just an awesome week.”

McIlroy will feature as part of Team Europe when they defend their Ryder Cup crown against the USA in New York from September 26-28.

McIlroy: Incredible Scheffler the best in the game

Scheffler would prove untouchable once more as the World No 1 romped to a four-shot victory on 17-under to clinch his fourth major title.

He is now just US Open glory away from following in the footsteps of McIlroy by completing the career Grand Slam, having also won the PGA Championship earlier this year.

“None of us could hang with Scottie this week,” said McIlroy. “He’s an incredible player. He’s been dominant this week. Honestly, he’s been dominant for the last couple of years.

“He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to. In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie’s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.

“Yeah, he’s a very worthy winner. Also, he’s a great person, and I think he’s a wonderful ambassador for our game as well. I’m really happy for him and Meredith and his family.”

Scheffler has drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods, such has been his recent consistency and the potential to dominate at the top of golf. He has now recorded 16 top 10 finishes at majors since the start of 2020.

“Admiration. I think all you can do is admire what he does and how he does it,” McIlroy added. “I think what he does is one thing, but how he does it is another.

“He just goes about his business, doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant, but he’s the best at executing in the game right now.

“Yeah, he’s been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years. As I said, all you can do is tip your cap and watch in admiration.”

What’s next?

The PGA Tour heads to Minnesota for the 3M Open, starting on Thursday at TPC Twin Cities, while the next DP World Tour event is the Nero Championship in Scotland from August 7-10.

The Senior Open begins on Thursday at Sunningdale, before the women’s major season concludes with the AIG Women’s Open from July 31-August 3 at Royal Porthcawl. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more top sport with no contract.