Rory McIlroy has never won a top level event in his native Northern Ireland. He will have another chance when he plays in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July, but his chances are slim, according to veteran pro Brian Twite.Twite is the last remaining survivor of the first Open Championship, played at Royal Portrush in 1951. He gave an interview to The Telegraph in which he not only ruled out McIlroy lifting the Claret Jug again, but also mentioned who he considers the favorite."I think [Shane] Lowry will win again," Twite said. "He is the best putter and has the perfect game for Portrush. I can't see Rory McIlroy, or Adam Scott or Justin Rose ever winning an Open Championship in the future.""They are good at target golf, but they hit the ball too high for links golf. You can't hit it high at the Open. The best players play a low ball."Twite may not have had a long career as a professional golfer, but he certainly has had it as a club pro. He worked at several clubs in his native England until he moved to Australia in 1955, where he has lived ever since. He has been a teaching pro at Melbourne's Metropolitan Golf Club for more than 70 years.He was 24 when he played in The Open Championship in 1951. As he told The Telegraph, he missed the cut by six shots after shooting consecutive 81s in the first two rounds. His compatriot Max Faulkner won that edition of the event with a score of 3-under 285.However, the key words in Twite's statement are "in the future" as Rory McIlroy already has an Open Championship title under his belt. The Northern Irishman won at Royal Liverpool in 2014 at 17-under-par, two strokes ahead of Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler.In addition, the four-time major champion has six top-10 finishes in The Open, including a tie for second (2018).In 2019, he missed the cut at Royal Portrush, where his friend Shane Lowry won. It is fair to say, however, that not all his experiences at Royal Portrush have been negative. In 2012, he played the Irish Open there and finished tied for 10th with a score of 11-under.Rory McIlroy has played five top events on Northern Irish soil during his professional career and his results have been very inconsistent. After tying for 10th at the 2012 Irish Open (Royal Portrush), he missed three consecutive cuts at the 2015 Irish Open (Royal County Down), 2017 Irish Open (Portstewart) and 2019 Open Championship (Royal Portrush).His most recent experience in Northern Ireland was at the 2024 Irish Open when he finished second at Royal County Down, one stroke behind Rasmus Hojgaard.More Golf: PGA Tour Pro Explains 'Losing His Cool' in Wild Valspar Outburst