McIlroy’s chances blown in the wind
RORY McILROY’S approach to golf might be a breath of fresh air but it ended up being little more than a sigh of disappointment in the face of Carnoustie’s bluster.
The 2014 champion had vowed to come out and attack the course from the tee and, as he pirouetted around the 14th green after holing a mammoth eagle putt, the miracle looked very much on the cards.
In the end though, by flirting with the capricious elements that swirl around the Angus coastline he showed, ultimately, hit and hope is not so much a strategy as the brazen absence of one.
Nevertheless, McIlroy refused to be disappointed after his 70 secured a tie for second place.
“I don’t really feel like it’s a defeat,” he said. “I feel like it’s a good week. One guy out of 156 is going to win; 155 other guys are going to leave a little disappointed.
“It was great, just to be a part of it and hear the roars. Tiger Woods being back in the mix, for example. There’s a lot of big names up there. It was nice to be a part of it. For a while, I thought Tiger was going to win. My mindset was go and spoil the party here.
“It was cool, really cool. I have no regrets. I played the way I wanted to play this week. It gives me a lot of encouragement going into the final Major of the year.
“I committed to everything. I hit the shots when I needed to. I made good swings on 17 and on 18. You know, it just wasn’t to be – I just ran out of holes.
“At least I hung in there. I did what I needed to do. I had some clutch putts coming down the stretch. So I’ll look back at this week and be very encouraged about what I’ve done, and the golf that I played, and I feel like that will stand me in good stead.”
Starting on five under, McIlroy finished one stroke better but in between his scores were tossed up and down like a crisp packet in the stiff Carnoustie breeze. McIlroy was AT CARNOUSTIE not so much playing the course as being toyed by it.
On the fifth hole, for instance, the golfing gods were smiling and allowed his ball to bounce once and clear the ditch across the fairway to leave him 80 yards from the pin. A fluffed approach, poor lag putt and lipped six-footer later, he had managed to snatch a bogey from the jaws of a birdie.
Birdies on nine and 10 were all but thrown away when he threeputted carelessly on the 12th green. Another wild drive on 14 was rescued with an approach that bounced around the bunkers to set up that incredible long putt.
When McIlroy is in his pomp, he strides along the fairways with his chest puffed out so far you would expect to find ‘inflate to 150 psi’ tattooed on his torso. Too often yesterday he simply looked deflated, before finally getting himself pumped up with his escape on 14.
McIlroy took an iron off the next tee. When he failed to clear a bunker on the 17th by a couple of feet, he made sure he got up and down.
He even engineered himself a chance of greater glory on the final hole. Ultimately, though, the fact McIlroy failed to nail a final 20-foot birdie putt was academic to his chances of success as Francesco Molinari edged away in less blustery fashion.
And so, blithely, it is on to 2019 and Portrush, a course that has been off the rota for 68 years and is, coincidently, McIlroy’s home.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “Although it would have been nice to go in there with a Claret Jug.
“It’s my fourth top-five in a row at this tournament. So I play this tournament well. I have done for the last few years now, and I’m excited to play an Open Championship at Portrush. That will be unbelievable.”
It’s great to be part of it and hear the roars