Jason Sobel cautioned bettors about backing Rory McIlroy to win the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, reminding readers that McIlroy famously pushed his opening tee shot out of bounds the last time the championship visited the venue in 2019 and ultimately missed the cut while hometown wagers on Shane Lowry cashed. Sobel outlined the "five emotional stages of Rory wagering"—initial optimism, Friday-night euphoria, Saturday bogey-induced concern, a Sunday missed-putt crisis, and the inevitable vow to never bet him again—arguing that McIlroy’s historical tendency to begin majors hot before a weekend stumble makes outright tickets a nerve-shredding, low-value proposition even though he arrives as the reigning Masters champion.