The list of potential winners of this week’s British Open at Royal Troon is a long one as Rory McIlroy begins his latest bid to end a decade-long major title drought.
McIlroy’s misery continued in last month’s US Open where he agonisingly finished second - one shot behind American Bryson DeChambeau - after bogeying three of his last four holes.
The pain of that loss took McIlroy a few days to process but, as he prepares for Thursday’s opening round, he is feeling no added pressure in his quest to claim a fifth career major.
“I know that I’m in a good spot,” the Northern Irish world number two told reporters on Tuesday after playing his first practice round of the week.
“If I think about 2015 through 2020, that five-year stretch, I seldom had a realistic chance to win a major championship in that five-year period. So I’d much rather have these close calls. It means that I’m getting closer.”
McIlroy, who has not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship, spoke about how he dealt with the US Open.
“I went from being very disappointed and dejected to trying to focus on the positives to then wanting to learn from the negatives and then getting to the point where you become enthusiastic and motivated to go again,” said the 35-year-old.
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“It’s funny how your mindset can go from ‘I don’t want to see a golf course for a month’ to four days later being ‘I can’t wait to get another shot at it.’ When that disappointment turns to motivation, that’s when it’s time to go again.”
McIlroy is in good form having tied for fourth at last week’s Scottish Open.
“I feel like my preparations have been going well,” he said. “Just getting myself familiar again with links conditions, links turf, green speeds. We play a majority of our golf in the States and green surfaces that are quite different to here.”
FICKLE NATURE
The Open is the oldest of the four majors and often the most unpredictable, given the vagaries of the weather and the fickle nature of links golf.
This year’s championship, the 152nd edition, promises to be wide open with a host of players looming as genuine contenders.
American world number one and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, seeking his third major title, always seems to be in contention.
“I’m excited,” said Scheffler, who has won six times on the PGA Tour this year in 15 starts. “Excited to be back over here this year, and excited for the week. I think the golf course is great. We should get some good wind this week ... which increases the challenge of this golf course. It should be fun.”
Ninth-ranked DeChambeau has played better than anyone in this year’s majors, having tied for sixth at the Masters and finished second at the PGA Championship before winning his second U.S. Open crown last month.
“I’m very confident, obviously,” said DeChambeau. “It all depends if I’m striking it well. I can come in here with the most confidence, obviously, off of a major championship win. Played decent last week, as well.
“I know how to get the job done. It’s just a matter of if I’m as consistent as I was at the U.S. Open last month and a few other venues as well. If I can play the golf that I have been, I think I’ll give myself a great chance.”
Other likely contenders include PGA Championship winner and world number three Xander Schauffele, fourth-ranked Swede Ludvig Aberg, 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa and twice major winner Jon Rahm. American left-hander Brian Harman, the defending champion and world number 13, is not among the favourites, just like last year at Hoylake where he won by six shots.
Royal Troon, situated next to the Irish Sea, will provide a tough test. The Ayrshire layout has one of the most difficult closing stretches in championship golf, and eight of the last nine holes play into the prevailing wind.
This year’s tournament features the longest hole in Open history. The sixth was 601 yards when the event was last played on the Ayrshire links in 2016 but this year it will measure 623 yards.
Overall, the course will play 195 yards longer than in 2016 when Sweden’s Henrik Stenson held off American Phil Mickelson in one of the greatest final-round duels in Open history.
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