Rory McIlroy is a man on cloud nine right now after claiming the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday. The Northern Irishman edged out Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre with an 18th-hole birdie at the Renaissance Club on Saturday.
McIlroy posted 68 for a 15-under-par total, and ahead of The Open at Royal Liverpool this week he will be feeling confident that he can end the nine-year wait to get his hands on his fifth major title.
And of course it was at this setting back in 2014 that McIlroy hoisted the Claret Jug for the first time, so there is that added bonus of having triumphed on this course in this tournament before. The long wait for another major title has weighed heavily on McIlroy over the past few years but he has still managed to play some excellent golf at the same time.
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It is the fine margins that have been the difference and if he can fine-tune that on Merseyside this week he will have a chance to end the rut and experience a familiar triumph. Let’s not forget that he had won his first four majors by the age of 25, which was an incredible achievement.
He has continued to evolve on the fairway but there have been little things that have stopped him from adding to his already impressive CV on the major front. Time hasn’t been his ally. As each major passes, the pressure heightens and he knows this.
It doesn’t stop him from playing his own game because he has been delivering some great golf but another major crown has continuously eluded him.
Earlier this year, people were confident that he would be in the running for The Masters at Augusta but he dramatically missed the cut. McIlroy decided that he needed to take a mental health break from the sport as a result, and he has come back replenished.
Before his victory at the Renaissance Club over the weekend, McIlroy finished a stroke behind champion Wyndham Clark at the US Open in June. It was his putting in the final round that cost him the opportunity to break the cycle but he has bounced back in Scotland to boost his chances for a second Claret Jug at Hoylake.
The timing of this year’s edition has been perfect given he was victorious at the Scottish Open. McIlroy will be feeling unstoppable right now and that should trump all the thoughts about the nine-year drought that will have played on his mind.
McIlroy has certainly got his mojo back and if he can combine his current form with his experience on this course back in 2014 then this weekend could be a great affair on Merseyside for the Northern Ireland star, and the fans will be there to cheer him on hoping to witness him experiencing another glorious moment in the sun.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
