Rory McIlroy has dismissed his Scottish Open collapse and declared himself ready to contend at The Open Championship, having worked extensively on his swing since letting a lead slip at The Renaissance Club. The World No.2, who called himself “bad at golf” after losing the Scottish Open, has been grinding at Royal Birkdale to fix the issues that derailed his weekend.
McIlroy Reflects on Scottish Open Struggles
McIlroy led after two rounds in North Berwick but saw his game deteriorate over the weekend, ultimately finishing outside the top 10. Despite shooting a respectable final round, he admitted the performance felt poor. “It’s funny, I felt really good the first two days in Scotland and then felt like my game just sort of deteriorated as the week went on. Even though I shot a good score on Sunday, it didn’t feel very good,” he said.
Fatigue played a role, as McIlroy played 30 holes on the final day. He took Monday off but used the time to hit balls and refine his swing. “I felt a little bit tired yesterday, so I didn’t make it on the course, but that allowed me a bit more time to hit some balls and dig into the swing a little bit. Felt good on the range and course. Definitely trending in the right direction.”
Work at Royal Birkdale Pays Off
McIlroy has spent the days since the Scottish Open at Royal Birkdale, focusing on matching his swing feels with what he sees. “I’ve done a good bit of work the past couple days and just trying to match up the feels of my swing with what I’m seeing,” he explained. The 35-year-old won the Masters in April, making this his final major of the season, and he aims to bookend his major term with another victory.
He noted the compressed major schedule, with the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open following quickly after the Masters. “Major season always feels like it goes quicker and quicker every year. Obviously one last opportunity at one of the big four and try to give it all I’ve got,” McIlroy said.
Calls for Longer Major Season
McIlroy expressed a desire for the major season to be spread out, though he acknowledged the benefits of momentum. “I’d like to see the major season spread out a little bit longer. The Masters is always going to have the buildup, but I think then PGA into U.S. Open, US Open into here, it just seems like it’s very, very quick. From a player perspective, if you get on a bit of a run, it’s nice to be sort of playing well and go from one straight into the next. But, for the sport as a whole and the general interest in the game, obviously I can see the positives in that major season being stretched out a little bit longer.”
He admitted his opinion is unlikely to change anything. “My opinion isn’t going to change anything. I feel like I would certainly voice it, but I don’t think it’s going to really change anything.”
Pressure on English Players at Home Open
McIlroy, who faced home pressure at Royal Portrush in 2019, sympathized with English players Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, who now carry similar expectations at Royal Birkdale. With the England football team also competing in the World Cup, the atmosphere is charged. “I felt like I handled the second time a little better than the first. It’s a great environment, but tough in a way that you just feel the extra expectation on your shoulders and you feel like you’re trying to play well for everyone else and not for yourself. I think there’s already enough pressure on anyone in this field to play well for themselves, so to add that extra layer on top of that is always pretty difficult.”
He predicted Fleetwood, who grew up minutes from the course, would handle it better than he did. “Tommy, for example, grew up five minutes away, but I feel like Tommy’s more level-headed than I am and won’t fall into that trap like I did in 2019. It will be interesting to see. I’m playing with Matt tomorrow, but I think a lot of those guys are pretty level-headed, they’ll go out there and stick to their routines and do their thing and it will be great.”
Crowd Conduct and Gambling Concerns
McIlroy dismissed concerns about fan behaviour, despite the R&A implementing a code of conduct. Gambling has been linked to crowd misbehaviour, but McIlroy said it is rare. “We’ve had gambling over here for forever, and I would say the crowd behaviour has been pretty good for the most part. Obviously it’s a newer thing in the United States. I feel like certain things have happened to me over the years where it’s definitely been because of that, but it’s very rare, I would say. I feel like it’s policed pretty well. In every crowd of thousands of people, you’re going to have your few bad eggs here and there, but for the most part, I think golf crowds are pretty respectful.”
