The Open 2025: Scottie Scheffler Four Clear Cleary Cleary in the last round at Royal Portrush

McIlroy had hit the very few fairways from someone to cut half the way. His success rate of 32.1% in the first two days took him in the original area from 156 to 150th place.

However, he found the first fairway on Saturday and gave the tone for an early indictment that had sent thousands of already frenzied disciples in delirium.

A 30-foot bird on the first was greeted with a thundering jubilation, which was reminiscent of a Sunday tiger roar in Augusta.

A tap-in bird on two and six feet on the fourth was raised through the dunes with even louder encouragement beams with “Rory, Rory, Rory”. At the beginning of the game of seven behind Scheffler, McIlroy had only gone to four.

But then it fell flat.

A missed birdie putt from a dozen foot on the fifth and one from a similar distance in the seventh killed the swing.

His first true failure with the driver in the 11th led to a first bogey – after a bizarre incident in the rough, in which he discovered a buried ball after he had looked after the Green.

All hope lost? Not quite.

Further pencils turned the heads over the course when McIlroy emptied a 56-foot-eagle putt on the 12th.

“It was loud and cool,” was Schauffele's attitude to the cacophony of noise to McIlroy's every movement.

“I was on the 17th T-shirt when I heard what happened. I assumed that it was an eagle, a kind of hole-out. It was very loud and he got a standing ovation that went down.

“He looks like he is enjoying it. It looks like the fans will enjoy what is great for this event.”

But while the fans celebrated, Scheffler was busy with the eighth of Birten to make six clearly on 13 under.

It was a strong memory that the focus of the majority was fixed on McIlroy, but was only closer to one closer than he did at the beginning of the game.

McIlroy was still pushed. A wedge at 15 in three feet resulted in another birdie. Cue more bedlam in the stands.

But crawled pars, first from the gorge on the long par-three 16th and then after a wild journey to 17, looked around Peter.

Only a bogey in a 66 would be celebrated roughly on most days, but at six back it has too much to do on Sunday.