Rory McIlroy misses Open cut but struggling star avoids embarrassing feat

Rory McIlroy misses Open cut but struggling star avoids embarrassing feat

Rory McIlroy’s bid for a major triumph at The Open Championship has ended abruptly as the Northern Irish star missed the 36-hole cut, marking a disappointing turn of events at Royal Troon.

This marks only the third time in McIlroy’s career that he has failed to progress past the cut line in The Open. His performance this week was among the most challenging of his career, as he finished the first two rounds at 11-over-par. This was just a shot better than his previous worst showing at Muirfield in 2013. McIlroy’s opening round began poorly with a seven-over-par 78, setting a difficult stage for his second day.

The second round did not provide any reprieve. Despite showing glimpses of form that nearly earned him victory at the US Open last month, McIlroy struggled throughout the day, eventually carding a four-over 75. The Scottish weather and course conditions seemed to overwhelm him early on.

McIlroy’s troubles began on the third hole with his first bogey of the day. Things quickly unraveled on the fourth hole, where he found himself in deep trouble. A wayward shot into waist-high fescue led to a challenging sequence: his initial attempt to recover ended up back at his feet, his second shot was pushed back into the fairway, and a subsequent misjudged chip led to a green-side bunker. From there, a failed putt from five feet resulted in a triple-bogey eight.

The day continued to spiral for McIlroy as he made back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes, pushing his total to 13-over-par for the tournament and placing him on the brink of his worst-ever Open Championship finish. However, McIlroy managed to salvage some dignity in the latter part of his round. He made two birdies on the back nine, including a notable chip-in for a birdie on the par-three 14th and another at the par-five 16th. Despite these efforts, it was too late to alter the outcome.

McIlroy’s disappointing performance at Royal Troon extends his wait for a fourth major championship victory, which now stretches to an 11th year since his last win at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. His next challenge will be representing Ireland at the Olympic Games in Paris in two weeks.