Rory McIlroy admits he still hasn't come to terms with the changes to Royal Portrush - where he shot a course record 61 as a 16-year-old. McIlroy was in conversation with his caddie Harry Diamond last week and, when Diamond mentioned the 12th hole, the golfer interrupted him. "I'm like, 'that's the 10th hole'," recalled McIlroy. "He's like, 'no, that's the 12th'. Even now I still remember this course the way it was and not the way it is for The Open. "This golf course has changed. It's weird the way the original 17th and 18th have been taken out of this golf course and the new 7th and 8th have been put in. "I played the Irish Open here in 2012 but it was still the original golf course, so I've really only played two competitive rounds on this new golf course. It's a little bit different." McIlroy acknowledges that he's a different player and it's a different game from when he shocked the field at the North of Ireland Amateur in 2009. "I think when I shot that, I had a little bit of a clue of what I was doing, but I certainly didn't have as much of an understanding of the game or of my game as I do now," he said. "I think in those 20 years, technology has evolved. I don't even think TrackMans were a thing at that point. "There's a lot of different things that have happened to the game of golf that probably push you in the direction of a scientist more than an artist. But as we all know, The Open Championship and links golf, you need to show quite a lot of artistry to do well here." If he gets off to the right start this time, as opposed to the quadruple bogey on his first hole that ruined his 2019 bid, McIlroy should be among the front-runners to be victorious on Sunday. Shane Lowry, meanwhile, admits he has spent the six years since his Open triumph at Portrush trying to figure out why it all came together that week. Shooting 63 in the third round on his way to lifting the Claret Jug was as close as he came to matching McIlroy's score on a course that he loves. "I don't know if that rain will have a massive effect on the course, depending on how heavy it is. I don't really plan to approach the course any differently," said the Clara man. "I forgot how well-bunkered the course is. There's a lot of options off tees, you just have to go with what you feel. You're going to see a lot of people hitting different clubs off different tees, playing the golf course differently. "But I wouldn't be able to sit here now and tell you now what the winning score is going to be. I know a good score on a day like today with that breeze blowing is probably under par, but in terms of the winning score, I have no idea. But it's going to play a little bit tough, I reckon." McIlroy, who has a late start on Thursday afternoon, agrees with Lowry in terms of the protection that the bunkers offer the course. "I have a real appreciation for how well bunkered it is off the tee," he said. "I can hit a 2-iron off the tee, but that brings this bunker into play, but then if I hit driver, it'll bring this bunker into play - so you have to take on the shot. "You have to say, 'OK, I'm going to commit to hitting this shot and I just know I'm going to have to avoid the bunker'. Some courses that we go to in the Open rota you can just take the bunkers out of play. "You can lay up short of them or go beyond them. Here, there's always one bunker or another bunker in play, so I think off the tee it provides a very, very good test." The same goes for the greens, McIlroy noted. "I'm always surprised when I come here how much movement there is on the greens," he said. "The greens are quite slopey here for a links golf course. "You compare that to even Renaissance (at the Scottish Open) last week where I had a lot of putts that were like right edge, left edge, not a lot of putts that were really outside the hole that much. "You get here, you're having to play two feet of break, or it's a little bit different than maybe what you face on some other links golf courses." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.