Don't Give Up on Rory McIlroy at Major Championships

Rory McIlroy's major drought continued last weekend, and he now has 16 major top-10s since his last win. But look closer, and there are plenty of reasons for optimism in his game.

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Amid all the cheering Sunday in the aftermath of Matt Fitzpatrick’s U.S. Open victory stood Rory McIlroy, at the back of the 18th green, waiting to offer his own congratulations to his Ryder Cup teammate and newest major-champion club member.

It was a classy move following another tough major championship final round for McIlroy, who is now squarely at eight years since the last of his four major titles.

There is no shame in a final-round 69 on The Country Club course that yielded just 16 sub-par scores on the final day and nor is it a shame to finished tied for fifth, a third straight top-10 in major championships this year.

But McIlroy, of course, is held to a different standard. Now ranked No. 2 in the world behind Scottie Scheffler, he holds himself to that same lofty height himself. It’s not win or bust, but it is certainly close.

McIlroy finished four shots behind winner Matt Fitzpatrick at the U.S. Open / USA Today

“I’ll look back at this as another missed opportunity just as Southern Hills was, but missed opportunities are better than not contending at all,’’ McIlroy said after finishing four strokes back of Fitzpatrick and in a tie with Collin Morikawa. “So that is a positive. I have to stay patient at this point, because if I just keep putting myself in position, sooner or later it’s going to be my day and I’m going to get one.’’

There is no reason to dump on McIlroy’s game. He’s played nicely of late, with a win at the Canadian Open as proof. He finished eighth at the PGA Championship after letting the tournament get away following a first-round 65, leaving too much ground to make up. His final-round 64 at Augusta National was electric, but again, it was too late and unrealistic for him to make up the deficit he faced against Scheffler. 

He was actually close enough to be a factor at Brookline, three back to start the day and immediately pulled within two strokes with an opening-hole birdie. But he never got any closer and was left to the ups and downs of a final round in which he would have needed the 65 shot by Hideki Matsuyama to force a playoff.

“There’s positives to take from it,’’ he said. “I played well enough to give myself a chance to win. I didn’t get the job done. But I’m closer than I have been in a while, which is good.’’

McIlroy now has 16 top-10 finishes in majors since he won his fourth at the 2014 PGA Championship.

That year, he won the British Open at Royal Liverpool, captured the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and then the PGA in a three-tournament victory span that had him a Masters away from completing the career Grand Slam and most observers feeling it was just a matter of time before he doubled his major haul.

The following year, he finished fourth at the Masters and tied for ninth at the U.S. Open and was an overwhelming favorite to win the British Open at The Old Course. Then a freak ankle injury occurred while playing soccer with some friends. It caused him to miss a St. Andrews Open, which was a huge missed opportunity.

And the pursuit continues all these years later.

McIlroy will again be among the favorites at the Old Course. He shot 63 there during the opening round in 2010. It sets up perfectly him. But Scheffler and Fitzpatrick and Morikawa and Justin Thomas and plenty of others will have something to say about the outcome.

He will be among the headliners this week at the Travelers Championship, and then he can devote his attention to another major title.

“The game’s there,’’ he said. “Another top five in a major, I guess doesn't really mean anything. Yeah, the game's there. The game's there. I've got one more start next week in Hartford before I go to the Open Championship.

“I'll get two weeks of good rest before the Open and play some links golf and prepare and look forward to that. Again, my game's in good shape. I've got one more chance this year to try to get that major.’’

A Closer Look at 2022 U.S. Open Low Amateur

It’s been quite a memorable month for Travis Vick, a junior at the University of Texas who helped lead the Longhorns to an NCAA team title and then was low amateur at the U.S. Open on Sunday. Vick clinched the winning point for Texas two weeks ago.

“It’s kind of been like a golfer’s high in a sense,’’ he said. “I qualified for the Open, and then the following week we go to the NCAAs and end up winning. Then I get here and finish low am.

“It’s like Scottie (Scheffler) did, where he went through a stretch of golf where he’s just playing incredible right now. I think in the same manner you kind of have to take advantage of the good weeks that you have, and you’ve just got to keep playing that way. So to be low am here is pretty cool.’’

Vick shot a final-round 73 while playing with four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who shot 77. That was a pairing he cherished but he said the pressure of playing in the U.S. Open was not as acute as playing for that national title three weeks ago.

“NCAA is way more pressure,’’ Vick said. “Even though there's thousands of more fans here, when you're playing for your team and you're playing for a university, there's just something about it because it's something that we practice for all year long and you only get one opportunity to do that. We have three seniors on our team. So that added a little bit more pressure to try to get it done for them as well.

“But to say that there was no pressure out here would be a lie, especially when you're on the first tee with Brooks Koepka right next to you. What a great experience. Super grateful for the USGA and everybody that helped run this event.’’

Fore! Things

1. Matt Fitzpatrick became the first player since fellow Englishman Danny Willett to make his first PGA Tour victory a major championship. Willett did it when he won the 2016 Masters. Fitzpatrick previously had won seven times on the DP World Tour. 

2. Scottie Scheffler has already set a PGA Tour season money-earning record with $12,896,849. He has four victories, including the Masters, a playoff loss at Colonial and a runner-up at the U.S. Open.

3. Will Zalatoris joins McIlroy as the only players to finish among the top 10 in all three majors this year. 

4. Collin Morikawa's third-round 77 at The Country Club was his highest score in a major.   

The PGA Tour's Tumultuous Time

It was two years ago this week when PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan rushed to the Travelers Championship for what was being viewed as an emergency situation. The PGA Tour was in its third week back following the coronavirus pandemic break, and there were a few more players and caddies impacted by COVID-19. There was concern Monahan would shut the Tour down.

He did not. In fact, Monahan showed strong leadership by simply tightening the COVID-19 rules and adjusting as things changed, dealing with the ever-evolving crisis while keeping the sport on track. While there were bound to be ongoing issues – and several prominent players did test positive – there was never a huge Tour outbreak. And no events were canceled.

Those times seem quaint now.

The PGA Tour is dealing with a crisis every bit as challenging and one that is unlikely to subside any time soon. More defections to the LIV Golf Invitational Series are expected this week in the aftermath of high-profile names leaving such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed.

Monahan has issued indefinite suspensions to all who are involved in the LIV Tour and how he next addresses the threat will be interesting to follow. Another meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at the Travelers Championship in which these matters will undoubtedly be addressed, even if there is not an immediate resolution. Monahan also has a press conference scheduled for Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the DP World Tour is also figuring out what to do. For now, players who competed in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event outside of London are allowed to compete on the DP World Tour, specifically this week’s BMW International Open.

Unlike Monahan, who immediately suspended all 17 PGA Tour players who competed in the LIV event, Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour CEO, had remained silent until he sent a letter to players last week allowing them to participate in Munich but noting that “we will clarify our position’’ on Thursday.

Pelley noted that while the DP World Tour has a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, “we are different organizations and therefor our rules and regulations are different, too.’’

The DP World Tour is said to be in a difficult spot. The BMW International didn’t want to go on without Germany’s Martin Kaymer. Sergio Garcia is also in the field. Both are in the field for the Genesis Scottish Open next month along with Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell.

It is unclear how that event will be handled as it is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour. Monahan has already said that those players who are PGA Tour members who joined the LIV circuit – or those who gave up their membership – would not be able to play in any PGA Tour events.

The Open Championship Countdown

The Open begins in 24 days at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. It will be the 150th playing of the championship that dates to 1860, and years of planning have taken place to celebrate the occasion, which was supposed to occur last year but was delayed due to the pandemic.

The Old Course will stage The Open for the 30th time, more than any other venue, the first being in 1873 when Tom Kidd won the tournament as it was played for the first time on an 18-hole course.

The last staging of The Open at the Old Course was in 2015, when Zach Johnson won in a playoff over Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.

Qualifying via the Official World Golf Ranking ended several weeks ago for the top 50 in the world, so the only opportunities left to get in are through The Open Qualifying Series and Regional Qualifying and Final Qualifying.

Nine of the Qualifying Series events have already been contested, the last being the RBC Canadian Open.

The Irish Open and the John Deere Classic will offer three qualifying places each, while the Scottish Open will also offer three. The Barbasol Championship, the last qualifying event played the same week as the Scottish, will offer one spot.

There were 15 regional qualifying sites in the United Kingdom where contestants hope to advance to final qualifying, which takes place June 28 at Fairmont St. Andrews, Prince’s, Hollinwell and St. Anne’s Old Links with a minimum of 12 spots available there.

Social Matters

 

What. A. Day. From being a little kid this is a moment I could only dream of. To achieve one of my career goals yesterday was truly incredible. Words really can’t describe the feeling of winning a major, it’s 1000x better than I ever thought it would be. pic.twitter.com/aYVzWDWroR

— Matt Fitzpatrick (@MattFitz94) June 20, 2022

-- Matt Fitzpatrick on the U.S. Open win.

From one #USOpen champion to another 🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/7uuJOBvw8a

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 19, 2022

-- And there was plenty of reaction to the Fitzpatrick victory.

All yours, Billy. 😘 #USOpen pic.twitter.com/ekIdjgq6IA

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 19, 2022

-- Fitzpatrick’s caddie, Billy Foster, got his first major after a 40-year career.

“Here comes the putter throw.” https://t.co/6nGqTmfHZU

— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) June 19, 2022

 -- Grayson Murray was not a factor in the tournament but got a lot of run due to this.

Next Up

The Travelers Championship has emerged as one of the PGA Tour’s top spots, despite a tough date the week following the U.S. Open. Close proximity to Boston helps, but that hasn’t necessarily stopped the event from attracting a strong field in recent years, as it employs a charter to bring players from the U.S. Open site to Hartford.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka are part of the field that will compete at TPC River Highlands. So is Harris English, who is back to defend his title after defeating Kramer Hickok on the eighth sudden-death playoff hole.