Hoylack, England – Rory McIlroy tried again, but it wasn’t enough.
Nine shots out of the lead going into Sunday, the four-time major winner started his final round by making three birdies on the first six holes – just as he did on Saturday – and giving himself an outside opportunity to round the Claret Jug. But any glimmer of hope for McIlroy’s comeback and victory for the ages faded over the next 12 holes.
When shots stopped coming in and moves and approach shots lost their intensity, McIlroy soaked in the Liverpool rain, finishing The Open 6th, 7 shots on the back of eventual winner Brian Harman and without a major championship for the ninth year in a row.
“It was tough,” McIlroy said. “I needed to go out and shoot something 63, 64, but it’s hard to do in the circumstances.”
McIlroy was, as he has been all year, on the hunt despite not achieving his full potential every round. He ranked seventh in the field in hits earned on approach shots and sixth in hits earned from the tee. His shooting and shortstop game (54th in hits, 75th in hits earned around the green) weren’t debilitating, but they simply weren’t good enough to give him a real chance at winning Sunday.
“I missed a few strokes yesterday. I felt like I got better today,” said McIlroy.
The situation was only one issue. The rain and wind didn’t allow McElroy to be as aggressive as he could have been with his biggest weapon: the chauffeur.
“Very reluctant to hit the driver because the bat face gets wet and the ball can go anywhere,” said McIlroy. “I had to take off my tees and try to play as conservatively and intelligently as possible.”
However, McIlroy gave himself chances that he couldn’t capitalize on all week. An equal salvage exercise at No. 16 on Sunday that ran around the Cup and remained sidelined however summed up his week. His putt of birdie on par 18 was another rough miss – he stayed about an inch off the hole.
McIlroy, 34, was unable to replicate the magic from his performance at Hoylake in 2014, when he won his third Grand Slam title, leaving him again with a year of close calls but no major to show for it. However, McIlroy remained adamant that his optimism about his game, and his greatest chances, was unwavering.
“My grades have improved every day,” said McIlroy. “Not amazing, but there is a lot of optimism going into the rest of the year.”
In the absence of a big win, it’s easy to ignore the consistency McIlroy has shown over the past two years. Other than missing out on the Masters this year, McIlroy has finished inside the top 10 in seven of his past eight Grand Slam matches. There’s a reason it feels like deja vu every weekend in a major with McIlroy again coming up short: He does enough to put himself in this position even when his game isn’t at its best. Its ceiling may be higher than ever, as is the floor.
“Most of the time, I’m there,” McIlroy said. “I can’t sit here feeling so frustrated. If you think about my performance in the majors between 2016 and 2019, [this] Much better than that.”
McIlroy doesn’t seem to dwell on his severe drought as much as he seems to care about winning whatever he can. On Friday he spoke of turning his focus to winning his fourth FedEx Cup, fifth Dubai Grand Prix and fifth Ryder Cup. Close invitations have brought scrutiny and criticism, but for McElroy they seem to be constant evidence that his time will soon come.
“I am optimistic about the future,” said McIlroy. “I’m just looking forward.”