Rory McIlroy birdied his final two holes to win the Genesis Scottish Open by one stroke over Scotland's Robert MacIntyre. He had an exceptional shot on the 18th and final hole of his Sunday round, in which he hit a 5 iron from 202 yards into the wind, which landed 10 feet from the pin. Rory's iron play has been off the chart, and the way the ball comes off the club face, it sounds like it's breaking the sound barrier.
“It was nice to show the youngster I still have it in me,” said McIlroy, whose second PGA TOUR title this season was the 24th of his career. “… That’s probably going to be up there with one of the best shots I’ll hit in my career.” Congrats to Rory, but I think he blew his load a little too early by winning the week before The Open Championship. This is the face of a man who came too quick!
Let's rewind a few months. Brooks Koepka had won the #LIVTour event on the Sunday before The Master's, and he ended up blowing his 54 hole lead in the final round to lose to Jon Rahm. Rory McIlroy has won three times the week before a major, two of those three times he has finished T-9th for the major, and in 2014 he had won the Open Championship.
“Obviously a huge confidence boost going into The Open,” McIlroy said. “I've had my chances over the last couple of months and been knocking on the door. … Hopefully this breaks the seal, and we can go on from here.”
Now ranked second in the world after his rousing victory Sunday at the Scottish Open, McIlroy won The Open when it was last held here at Royal Liverpool in 2014. A month later, he captured the PGA Championship for his fourth major championship by the age of 25. He's been stuck on that number ever since.
I feel like this is too much of a perfect storm for Rory to win the Open Championship this coming weekend. He's been playing great and falling short in some events, his last Open win was at the same course it is this year, and the way he lost last year. Also it has been nine years in a row that the winner of the Open Championship hasn't finished higher than 25th the year before. You'll always have the Scottish Open, Rory.
