Rory McIlroy admitted he was not used to the windy conditions at Royal Troon after continuing to wait for his major drought to end at the 152nd Open.
The world number two was looking to bounce back after a disappointing performance at the US Open last month, but was beaten by Bryson DeChambeau in second place despite opening up a two-shot lead on the final hole. But his bid for a fifth major title in 20 years was dashed by a shocking miss.
McRoy followed up his opening round with a 78, then shot a 75 in the second round on the windy Scottish coast. He was already thinking about his holiday plans after finishing four holes in six over on Friday afternoon.
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McIlroy had a terrible performance of 7-over 78 at Royal Troon in the first round of the Open Championship.
“I shot an 8 on the fourth hole and that was it,” McIlroy admitted. “I played 22 holes in the event and then I figured out where to go on vacation next week. That was basically it.
“From then on, I kind of accepted that I wasn't going to hit anything after that to make the cut. It was a pretty meaningless 14 holes after that, but at least I played OK. When the wind died down, my game became a little more relaxed.”
McIlroy played alongside Max Homa (+6) and Tyrrell Hatton (+8) for the first two rounds.
Needing a quick start, McRoy got up and down to try to save par on No. 2, but missed a 10-foot putt to save par on No. 2, and his hopes were further dashed on the par-5 No. 4.
He took two shots in the thick grass, missed the green on his fourth, chipped into a greenside bunker and finished with a triple-bogey 8, matching the highest score on a hole in his Open career.
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McIlroy's hopes of making the cut began to fade when he shot an 8 on the par-5 fourth hole at Royal Troon at The Open.
McIlroy lost strokes on the next two holes to finish at 6-over par, but he finished the round without a bogey and finished with two birdies over his final three holes.
“If I had to remember anything about this week, it would be the last few holes I played,” McIlroy told reporters after the round.
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“If I look back at the two majors where I haven't had my best performances, here and the Masters, the wind got the best of me on Friday at Augusta, and the wind got the best of me the last two days here.
“I couldn't get used to the wind blowing from side to side on the back nine yesterday, and then I got caught in a gust on the front this afternoon. The wind was so strong that it was quite uncomfortable for a few shots. Yes, it was a big loss for me to stretch from the start to the fourth hole.”
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McIlroy looks back on US Open tragedy, admits he knew Bryson DeChambeau's course layout too well
Where will McIlroy play next?
McRoy will have a week off before heading to France to represent Ireland at the Paris Olympics after narrowly missing out on bronze three years ago to Xander Schauffele.
The 35-year-old returns to the United States for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which begin with the FedEx St. Jude Championship from Aug. 15-18, followed by the BMW Championship at TPC Southwind a week later.
McIlroy has already won three times in 2024, once on the DP World Tour and twice on the PGA Tour.
McRoy has already secured a spot in the season-ending Tour Championship, where he will look to win a record fourth FedEx Cup title, before heading back to Europe for back-to-back events on the DP World Tour.
He has committed to teeing it up on home soil at the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down Golf Club from September 12-15, while McRoy is scheduled to headline the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth a week later.
“I think I say this every Open Championship, but we don’t play four tournaments a year,” McIlroy added. “We play 25 tournaments, so there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“Of course the major tournament has come and gone, but I will try to refocus and reset for the Olympics. The Olympics will be another great experience and I will try to do well there.
McIlroy has recorded 21 top-10 finishes in major championships since winning the 2014 PGA Championship.
“Once again, I’m competing for two titles on both sides of the Atlantic (FedExCup and Race to Dubai standings), so I still have work to do before the end of the year.”
What are the key outlooks for next year?
McRoy will have another chance at completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters next April, while the 2025 PGA Championship will be held at Quail Hollow, where he won his first PGA Tour title, the Wells Fargo Championship, four times.
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Wayne 'Radar' Riley looks back at McIlroy's win at Valhalla in the 2014 PGA Championship, celebrating his last major victory.
The US Open returns to Oakmont for the first time since 2016, while The Open returns to Royal Portrush. McRoy struggled with a 79 in the first round and was left in tears after missing the cut in 2019.
Sir Henry Cotton, Julius Boros, Hale Irwin and Ben Crenshaw all waited 11 years to win a major, while Tiger Woods ended a similar drought with a one-stroke victory at the 2019 Masters for his 15th major title.
Watch Rory McIlroy play live on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour this season on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more on NOW.
