Rory McIlroy shows true colours after missing the cut at The Open

Rory McIlroy ended 11-over-par at Royal Troon, missing the cut at The 152nd Open Championship, but showed class in his response. Despite his personal disappointment, McIlroy immediately supported his Paris Olympics team-mate, Shane Lowry, who is contending for his second Claret Jug this weekend.

McIlroy, still reeling from a near miss at the US Open last month, entered The Open feeling confident after a solid performance at the Scottish Open. However, he struggled in the challenging conditions at Royal Troon, starting with a round of 79 on Thursday, leaving him seven-over-par with only one birdie. Day two began poorly for McIlroy with a series of bogeys and a double bogey between the third and sixth holes.

Though visibly frustrated, the four-time major champion regained some composure as the winds calmed in the evening, making two birdies on the back nine to finish four-over for the day. Despite this effort, McIlroy’s total of 11-over saw him miss the cut by five shots.

Now, McIlroy is focused on supporting Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, who currently leads by two shots at seven-under. McIlroy expressed his excitement to Sky Sports Golf, stating, “I can’t wait to watch this weekend. He relishes these conditions. He gets more up for this than anything else. I’m looking forward to cheering him on and him hopefully getting his second Jug.”

Reflecting on his own performance, McIlroy said, “I’ve had 14 holes to deal with everything I’ve been feeling. After the eight on four, I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be here for the weekend. That four-hole stretch at the start of the round was unfortunate in the worst of the wind. The wind died down a little bit for us on the back nine and it was a lot more manageable for me. Over the course of the two days, the conditions got the better of me. I didn’t adapt to the strong wind, especially on the back nine yesterday. And today going out with how strong and gusty it was. That was the story of the week.”

McIlroy compared his struggles at The Open to his experience at Augusta, where he felt the conditions got the better of him on a windy Friday afternoon. He noted that despite low scores at the PGA, he couldn’t keep up with Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, and the US Open remained a significant missed opportunity.

As McIlroy looks ahead, his focus is on supporting Lowry and reflecting on his own game to prepare for future challenges.