‘We always had great hopes for him’: Holywood celebrates Rory McIlroy’s grand slam

From biscuits to paintings, images of the champion golfer are everywhere in his County Down birthplace

The torture was over, the sun shone and images of the familiar toothy grin were sprouting across Holywood, the birthplace of the embodiment of agony and ecstasy known as Rory McIlroy.

It was Monday afternoon and the Northern Ireland town could finally flaunt images of its most famous son without risk of jinxing him, because he had won the Masters and history was in the bag.