McIlroy tries to figure out how to salvage a season without winning a major

“I’m only twenty-two holes into the event and I’m already thinking about where I’m going to go on holiday next week,” McIlroy said after rounds of 78-75, missing the cut by five strokes.

Whatever his plans for the holiday, his next thought was how to salvage another season without a trophy from the four biggest events.

This was a tougher year than most because of the previous major.

He had a two-stroke lead on the back nine of the U.S. Open. He was firmly in control until he missed a 30-inch putt on the 16th hole, then fell behind when he missed a par putt from inside 4 feet on the final hole.

McIlroy was so upset that he left Pinehurst, withdrew from the next tournament that week and spent a few days in Manhattan to gather his thoughts.

It reminded me of McIlroy’s famous statement after the 2023 US Open – another opportunity he let slip – that “I would endure 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”

“I would rather have a disappointing Sunday than go home on Friday,” he said.

One lesson he learned from the US Open is to remind himself that he is a very good player who has accomplished more than he imagined when he turned pro in 2007 at age 18. He has won four majors and 26 titles on the PGA Tour alone, as well as three FedEx Cup titles.

“It’s not like we only play four events a year,” McIlroy said. “We play about 25. So there’s still a few things to play for. Obviously the majors have come and gone.”

McIlroy is now scheduled for the Olympics. The question is whether a gold medal can fill the void left by the many silver trophies he has collected this year.

The royal and ancient game is relatively new to the Olympic program, only returning in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. McIlroy skipped that Summer Games, still torn and mildly irritated about a Northern Irish golfer having to choose between flying the flag of the United Kingdom or Ireland.

He played in Tokyo as an Irish golfer and lost in a seven-man play-off for bronze. “I’ve never tried so hard to finish third,” he said.

McIlroy thinks that in a few years a gold medal could feel like a gold standard, just like it does in tennis. For now, it’s about all he’s got.

“And again, I’m in the running to win both titles on both sides of the Atlantic,” McIlroy said, referring to the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. McIlroy is No. 3 in the FedEx Cup and leads in Europe.

“There are still a number of things to play for until the end of the year,” he said.

There is really no other choice than to look ahead, as long as that also means looking 265 days ahead to the start of the Masters.

Tiger Woods went 11 years between majors, but that was easy to explain. His personal life fell apart after a shocking revelation of serial infidelity, followed by more leg injuries, four back surgeries, the painkillers that led to an embarrassing DUI arrest, and age.

McIlroy was 25 when he won his last major, missing one major due to an ankle injury from playing soccer with friends.

If he’s underperformed in the last decade, that’s more than not winning — it’s a player of this talent who has so few chances to win. There was Pinehurst and Los Angeles in the last two U.S. Opens. There was Carnoustie in the 2018 British Open. And there was St. Andrews in 2022, when he two-putted every green and closed with a 70.

McIlroy is 35, and by all accounts at the peak of his career. If he seems older, it’s because this is his 17th year on tour. That’s a lot of scar tissue to build up over time. Losing happens a lot more often than winning in a sport like this.

Only five players in major championship history have gone 11 years between majors — Woods, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Julius Boros and Henry Cotton. The longer McIlroy waits between winning his next major, the harder it will likely become.

AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf