Rory McIlroy made crowds roar Saturday, but he's still chasing Scottie Scheffler - ESPN

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — With the Northern Irish sun beating down on the links below him, Rory McIlroy stood on the 17th tee box — one of the highest points at Royal Portrush — and took in the scene at the Open Championship.

On his left, there was a hillside containing a number of fans hoping to catch a glimpse of his tee shot. To his right, more fans pushed against the ropes just to try and get a little closer. As he waited to hit, McIlroy allowed himself a smile. The chants soon began.

«Rory! Rory! Rory!»

They had been going on all day — loud as he made birdie on the opening hole, louder still when he tapped in for another birdie on 2 and as loud as they had been all week when he hit his approach shot on the par-4 fourth and started 3-under through four. Eight holes later, on the 12th, the noise reached a climax. McIlroy's 56-foot eagle putt tipped into the bottom of the hole. A fist pump. A roar. This was the moment they had all been waiting for.

«The roar when this ball was in was insane. It was insane all day, but the noise after that putt went in was incredible,» McIlroy said. «That was a really cool moment… could be one of the coolest moments I've ever had on a golf course.»

All day, the thousands of fans — be it from Northern Ireland or beyond — seemed to carry McIlroy from hole to hole. Birdie or bogey, the noise was there, crescendoing as he reached every green.

At every turn, through the dunes and the crosswalks, at every crowded hill and gathering spot, the crowd was a reminder that McIlroy was, and has been, the main event this week. Outside of the hotel next to the fourth fairway, a group of workers all stood in a single file line to watch McIlroy come through. Next to the green on the fifth, fans made