PHILIP REIDfinds the Holywood star looking forward to Turnberry and his first Open as a professional

THE OTHER day, Rory McIlroy – his mind a sponge soaking in whatever golfing knowledge the world will give him – stood in the lobby of the clubhouse at Turnberry. He looked at the watercolour paintings of Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Nick Price in which each of them held the Claret Jug and, then, his eyes wandered along the wall to the framed result sheet of the 1977 championship.

That was the championship which became known as the ‘Duel in the Sun’ when Watson out-duelled Jack Nicklaus. Some say it was the greatest Open of them all. Few would disagree.

“The thing I found incredible,” said McIlroy, “was that Nicklaus was 10 shots ahead of the next guy in third place, so it just must have been incredible to watch.

“And Watson’s and Nicklaus’s scores were exactly the same until the last day. Watson shot 65 and Nicklaus shot 66 . . . I’d really like to see the film.”

These days, McIlroy – who wasn’t born when Watson and Norman won here, and was only five years old when Price triumphed – is making his own history. The 20-year-old Ulsterman has settled into life on tour seamlessly, taking everything in his stride.

The fruits of his efforts have resulted in him acquiring a new house on the outskirts of Belfast with his own driving range out back, and in him putting a Ferrari into the driveway.

But it is silverware he really cherishes; and if that silverware were one of the storied trophies handed out to major winners, then all the better.

Yesterday, McIlroy – with a top-20 finish in the US Masters and a top-10 finish in the US Open already this season providing confirmation that he has adapted immediately to the special demands of the majors – finished his preparations for what will be his fourth ever major and his first British Open as a professional and told us how he had been inspired by Tiger Woods.

In fact, McIlroy can relate to you every shot that Tiger has played. And, when he first met him in the flesh, McIlroy felt more nervous than if he faced a 10-foot putt to win a tournament.

“I remember when I first came out (on tour) and I talked to Tiger, I was even nervous just talking to him . . . he has some sort of aura about him, you know. But he’s just an incredible competitor. He’s not won 14 majors for nothing, and I’m sure he’ll win a few more before his career is over.

“I’ve enjoyed watching him win his majors. I haven’t had to deal with losing to him a lot or anything like that, so it’s been more inspirational for me rather than disheartening that this guy is coming to win every major he plays and every other major.”

Better to be inspired than intimidated, McIlroy – who won the silver medal as leading amateur at Carnoustie in 2007 – will set about his quest for a first major win aware of how difficult the task is.

As he pointed out, “you just have to look at Sergio. One of the best players in the world, one of the best ball-strikers I’ve ever seen and he has still to win a major . . . even if you get yourself into position to win, it’s very hard to close it out. I haven’t been in that position before, but I’m sure it’s very hard to not let things get into your head coming down the stretch.”

For the next two days, McIlroy will walk the fairways with Anthony Kim – just as he did for the first two rounds at the US Masters and the first three rounds at the US Open – with Retief Goosen as the third member of the group.

“I’ve got the game to do well in major championships. As long as I stay patient, and don’t get ahead of myself, I know that my game can stand up to the hardest test in golf.”