Rory McIlroy’s fall from the top at the Open Championship raises eyebrows
The Open Championship held at the Royal St. George’s difficult Links course confronted the US Open champion Rory McIlroy in what is now being referred to as a “complete blowback”, leaving the 22-year-old Irishman l*****g his wounds with an aggregate score
of seven-over.
McIlroy entered the event flying on a high horse, coming out of weeks of endless celebrations, hoping that he will be able to maneuver his way at the Royal St. George’s as effortlessly as he managed to do at the Congressional Country Club. However, the dreadful
Links course unleashed itself on the young Irishman with its full fury, with McIlroy barely managing to make the cut and finishing for a joint 25th.
“I'm not a fan of tournaments where the outcome is predicted so much by the weather,” McIlroy said. “I'm looking forward to getting back to playing in nice conditions in America. I'd rather play when it's 80 degrees and sunny and not much wind.”
McIlroy started off his Open bid with a round of 71 on Thursday amidst a huge uproar from the crowd who backed the young rising star all through the weekend. Although playing within the home crowd, McIlroy failed to utilize the advantage and after carding
a round of 69 on the second day, slumped to a massive disaster of four-over, 74.
The young Ulsterman knew from right there that he would not be able to survive the disaster and will have to contend with whatever comes his way. He was able to make the cut but failed to impress the crowds on the final day, posting another lopsided round
of three-over, 73 and walked away from the course battered and bruised.
McIlroy, who is not accustomed to playing the difficult wind-thrashed Links Golf, admits of his flaws for tackling the same but at the same time, rejected the idea to undergo a swing change for just one week of Links Golf in the year.
“No point changing my swing for one week a year,” McIlroy said. “I'll just have to wait for a year when the weather is better. Going to spend a few days getting my swing back into a nice groove. The wind messes it up.”
While the young McIlroy kept watching his name slide down the leaderboard, everything seemed to follow the right path for his countryman Darren Clarke who came out to be the Open Champion for the year. Clarke won the title at the age of 42, and admitted
that at one point he even contemplated that it might never happen now.
McIlroy will be hoping to win the PGA Championship scheduled next month, on his favourite PGA Tour courses and is already being touted as the number one bet by the UK bookies, despite of his loss at the Open. McIlroy has found the US audience more to his
liking, who have time and again supported the Irishman on their home courses.
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