HOYLAKE, England — Rory McIlroy reacts after putting on Day Four of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 23, 2023. | Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
McIlroy, notched his seventh top-10 in his last eight major appearances, but will head into 2024 having gone a decade since that elusive fifth major title.
Rory McIlroy fell short of winning another major championship, this time finishing seven strokes behind Brian Harman, who decimated the field to win The Open.
Fresh off last week’s victory at the Scottish Open, McIlroy arrived at Royal Liverpool as a popular pick.
After all, he hoisted the Claret Jug in 2014, when The Open was last held at Royal Liverpool.
But McIlroy could not get over his putting woes, as his short stick yet again abandoned him, as it did at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for HSBC
HOYLAKE, England — Rory McIlroy reacts after putting on Day Four of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 23, 2023.
Despite that, he still feels optimistic about his future, even though his major championship drought will extend to ten years when he arrives at Augusta National for The Masters next April.
“Overall, solid performance, not spectacular, but a lot of optimism going into the rest of the year,” McIlroy admitted after his round.
“I missed a few putts yesterday. Felt like I putted a bit better today. It was just hard. I needed to go out and shoot something 63 or 64-ish, but hard to do that in those conditions.”
Following his third round at Royal Liverpool, where he shot a 2-under 69, McIlroy skipped his session with the media, opting to practice on the putting green instead.
He putted horrendously Saturday, coughing away plenty of opportunities to climb the leaderboard.
Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for HSBC
HOYLAKE, England — Rory McIlroy reacts after putting on Day Four of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 23, 2023.
The move to practice paid off, however, as McIlroy found more success with the flat-stick Sunday.
He carded a 3-under 68 through the rain for his final round while ranking fourth in strokes gained: putting.
Yet, after starting with three birdies over his first five holes, McIlroy could not keep the momentum going thanks to the brutal conditions.
“Tricky conditions out there, and very reluctant to hit the driver because the club face gets wet and the ball could go anywhere,” Mcllroy said. “I had to lay back off tees and try to play as conservatively and as smart as possible.”
Any golfer knows birdie chances come with sticking shots close to the hole. Having to play from farther back dwindles those opportunities, especially in constant rain.
McIlroy still had plenty of opportunities to threaten but could not get closer than six strokes.
He finished at 6-under overall, tying for sixth place with Emiliano Grillo.
Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for HSBC
HOYLAKE, England — Rory McIlroy speaks with caddie Harry Diamond before playing his third shot on the 2nd hole on Day Four of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 23, 2023.
Since the 2022 Masters, McIlroy has finished in the top ten in seven of eight majors, with the 2023 Masters being the outlier—he missed the cut that week.
“Over the last two years, would I have loved to have picked one of those off that I finished up there? Absolutely. But every time I tee it up, or most times I tee it up, I’m right there,” McIlroy admitted after his round.
“I can’t sit here and be too frustrated. Considering my performances in the majors between 2016 and 2019, it’s a lot better than that. Again, I’m optimistic about the future and just got to keep plugging away.”
Over those four years, McIlroy finished in the top ten eight times but also missed four cuts. His best finish was when he tied for second at the 2018 Open Championship, won by Francesco Molinari.
But that is in the past, as is the 151st Open.
Now McIlroy can only look ahead as he hopes to snap his major drought in 2024, perhaps at Augusta National, where he could finally win the coveted grand slam.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
