TROON, Scotland – Give Rory McIlroy credit, he didn’t blame a U.S. Open hangover or any kind of issue with his game for a missed cut at the British Open.
He put it down to his inability to deal with the wind, a somewhat surprising admission given the fact that a player of his caliber might adapt to that better.
McIlroy shot 75 on Friday at Royal Troon after shooting 78 in the first round. He made a double bogey on the eighth hole on Thursday morning, effectively ending his chances. It was a disappointing result for the third-ranked player in the world who fell a shot short of Bryson DeChambeau last month at the U.S. Open.
“When I look back on the two majors that I didn't play my best at, here and the Masters, the wind got the better of me on Friday at Augusta, and then the wind got the better of me the last two days here,’’ McIlroy said.
“I didn't adapt well at all to that left-to-right wind yesterday on the back nine, and then this afternoon going out in that gusty wind on the front, as I said, it got the better of me, and I felt pretty uncomfortable over a few shots. That four-hole stretch to start off is what cost me.’’
McIlroy played the first six holes in 6 over par on Friday. It wasn’t that bad on Thursday, when he was even par through seven holes. Then he made a double bogey at the par-3 eighth and found himself fighting the rest of the way.
After his poor start on Friday, McIlroy admitted that his mind wandered to vacation plans. He knew the chances were slim after that, even though he played the remaining 12 holes in 2 under par. He still missed the cut by five shots.
It is his first missed cut in a major championship since the 2023 Masters and his third in 15 Opens.
McIlroy has now completed 10 full seasons since last winning a major title, an unimaginable span when you consider he had won his four majors in three-year span by age 25 in 2014.
It’s a long time until April and the Masters but McIlroy has the Olympics in Paris coming up as well as the conclusion to both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour seasons.
“I feel like I say this every Open Championship, but it's not as if we only play four events a year,’’ he said. “We play like 25, so there's still a few things there's left to play for. Obviously the majors have come and gone, but to sort of refocus and try to reset for the Olympics, which will be another cool experience, and try to play well there, and then again, I'm in contention to try to win both titles on either side of the Atlantic, so still some things to play for until the end of the year.’’
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy Misses Cut By Five Shots at British Open.
