Rory McIlroy throws club into his face as Open strop sums up woes at Troon

Rory McIlroy has endured a two-day spell to forget at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon - with the Northern Irishman missing the cut and throwing a club into his face

By: irishmirror.ie

Jul 19 2024
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Rory McIlroy throws club into

Rory McIlroy’s Open Championship woes were summarised when the Northern Irishman threw his own club into his face.

On Thursday, McIlroy struggled as he shot a dismal 78 to derail his hopes of winning a first major in a decade. With several big name stars struggling, he followed a seven-over first round with another difficult day on Friday at The Open.

During his dismal second round at Royal Troon, McIlroy shanked a shot out of the rough just five yards, and then suffered more embarrassment as he walked down the fairway on the back nine. While walking to the green at No. 16, the 35-year-old tried to flip his club in the air but accidentally hit himself in the dome.

McIlroy appeared unhurt by the incident, instead bending over and trying to quickly pick his club up to move on from the embarrassing gaffe. Fans made sure the moment wasn't missed by others, with one social media user posting the clip to X along with the caption: "McIlroy just went to throw his club and doofed himself right in the mush."

McIlroy missed the cut at Troon after posting a four-over round on Friday to finish 11-over for the tournament. He lamented his failure to cope with the brutal Scottish weather.

“Even though the wind on the back nine was helping, it was a lot off the left,” he said. “I was actually surprised how difficult the back nine played. I thought we were going to get it a little bit easier than we did.

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I think this sums it up Rory #mcilroy #theopen pic.twitter.com/doMC7gQpxC

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“You have a strategy that you think is going to help you, but when you get a wind you haven't played in, you start to think about hitting a few clubs that you haven't hit in practice. I just didn't adapt well enough to the conditions.

“Your misses get punished a lot more this week than last week... whether you miss it in a fairway bunker or even the rough. The rough... the balls that I hit in the rough today, the lies were pretty nasty.”

He added: “It's one of the worst rounds I think I've had this year in terms of how I've hit the ball. It wasn't a fun experience.”

McIlroy struggled immensely on Friday, and was birdie-less for his round through 11 holes at 13-over. But he recovered with back-to-birdies down the stretch, ensuring he saved face - with one birdie coming from a delightful chip out of the bunker.