Rory McIlroy admits the 150th Open title at St Andrews this week is the “Holy Grail” for golf stars.
McIlroy is preparing to tee it up on Thursday at the Old Course where he will look for his second Claret Jug.
He lifted the trophy previously in 2014 at Royal Liverpool but says victory at the ‘Home of Golf’ would be extra special.
McIlroy said: “I think it's the Holy Grail of our sport.
“Not a lot of people are going to get that opportunity but that's what winning an Open at St Andrews is.
“It's one of the highest achievements that you can have in golf.
“There are a lot of great players that have not won Opens at St Andrews, so I think it's unfair to say that a golfer's career isn't complete without that.
“But it's certainly up there with one of the greatest things you can do in our game.”
McIlroy would be a popular champion this week after leading the PGA Tour’s fightback against the breakaway Saudi LIV series.
He has previously stated: “There's no room in the golf world for LIV Golf”.
Several of the biggest LIV stars are at St Andrews like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy is determined to beat them to the title, insisting: “I think it would be better for the game.
“I'm not going to begrudge anyone if they win the Claret Jug and they play on a different Tour than I play.
“That's still a wonderful achievement and they're still playing the same sport.
“But I selfishly want that person to be me, and I'm going to try my best to make that happen.”
The R&A have banned LIV chief executive Greg Norman from this week’s 150th celebrations, which the Australian and two-time Open winner has branded “petty”.
McIlroy assessed: “It's the 150th Open Championship and that's what we need to focus on.
“I think the focus would have been taken away a little bit if he'd have been here.
“I supported that decision, and I think right now, because of everything that's happening in the golf world, I think it was the right decision to be made.”
