Rory McIlroy gets morbid ahead of The Open: "I'll be long gone. I'll be dead."

Rory McIlroy kicked off his Open week by declaring he doesn't care how he'll be viewed when he's long gone. 

The Masters champion, 37, is considered the second favourite behind Scottie Scheffler to lift the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale on Sunday.

Victory for the Northern Irishman would represent his seventh major championship title overall and add further weight to the claim that he is Europe's greatest ever player. 

But McIlroy told reporters in his pre-tournament news conference on Tuesday that he doesn't care how he'll be viewed when he's long gone and is largely unconcerned about his legacy. 

"I don't really care," he said. 

"I would like to think that the people that love and care about me think a certain way of me, but yeah, I'll be long gone. I'll be dead. 

"I don't think I'll be seeing what people say about me. I'll be six feet under. I don't think I'll be a ghost."

McIlroy will begin his quest for a first Open title since 2014 alongside his Ryder Cup teammate, Matt Fitzpatrick, and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele. 

The trio have been handed a late tee time on day one and are out at 10:09am BST on Friday. 

Royal Birkdale will provide a different challenge this year after a major renovation, with the introduction of a new par-three 15th among the most significant alterations.

McIlroy previously told of how he was unsure what to make of the hole. 

"I think most of the changes are very good," he said. "I really like the fifth hole. I like the change to the seventh. 

"Some of the greens are maybe a little unnatural with the runoffs and sort of what they've tried to do with the mounding. 

"But it creates a good challenge, and it creates options for if you do miss the green, whether it's a putter, a bump-and-run, some guys might choose lob wedge, and I think what we all know, even going back to Shinnecock [at the U.S. Open] a few weeks ago, when you give professional golfers options and you can create a little bit of doubt in their minds in terms of should I play this shot or that shot, that's when things start to get fun, especially for the viewer.

"Not so much for us but...

"That to me is the sign of a good championship test."

McIlroy also likes the fact the fairways aren't overly undulating. 

"So when you land the ball in the fairway here, it seems like it stays on the fairway," he said. 

"There's not a ton of blind shots, which I've never really had a problem with in other links courses, but that's something that people say quite. It's quite a common thing.

"But I've always liked this course. I first played here in the Amateur Championship and then played an Open back here in 2017 and did okay. 

"If you were to poll every player in the field, I'd say it would be up there in terms of being everyone's favourite Open venues to play for sure."

Spectators at this year's Open are being asked to observe a new set of behaviour guidelines following unruly scenes at last year's Ryder Cup and most recently at the 2026 U.S. Open. 

Competitors, too, could also face two-shot penalties or even disqualification if they behave in a manner that is "far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game". 

Some players, such as the aforementioned Fitzpatrick, have suggested gambling has contributed to the abuse of golfers. 

McIlroy also had his say. 

"I would say the crowd behaviour has been pretty good for the most part," he said. 

"Obviously it's a newer thing in the United States. Yeah, you could see how people that have a bet could ... you know, it's a very easy game to influence. The crowd aren't far away from you.

"I feel like certain things have happened to me over the years where it's definitely been because of that, but it's very rare, I would say. 

"But certainly it's a thing that we've definitely talked about when I was on the board of the PGA Tour, on the PAC, like whenever gambling or sports betting in the United States was coming into golf in a big way, it was something we talked about and how do we place it to make sure the integrity of the competition isn't jeopardized by letting this stuff happen.

"I feel like it's policed pretty well. 

"In every crowd of thousands of people, you're going to have your few bad eggs here and there, but for the most part, I think golf crowds are pretty respectful."