Rory McIlroy headed to Brookline in a good mood, and in the mood for success. He had won the Canadian Open the previous week and, having finished second to Scottie Scheffler at the Masters, he was hoping to go one better in Massachusetts.
However, it wasn’t to be for the Northern Irish golfer, who finished fifth, along with Collin Morikawa. The pair finished two under, with winner Matt Fitzpatrick finishing six under. It’s another unsuccessful major for McIlroy, who came eighth at the PGA Championship. However, he’s now finished in the top 10 in four consecutive majors, and his fans should be able to find some cause for optimism in his consistency.
Clearly thinking along the same lines, McIlroy said: “I have to stay patient at this point because if I just keep putting myself in position, sooner or later it’s going to be my day.”
McIlroy will be disappointed with his final round at Brookline, carding four bogeys in the first 11 holes, which made success all but impossible. That being the case, the Northern Irishman finds himself second in the world rankings, and he’s clearly moving in the right direction.
Offering his thoughts on the topic, he remarked, “Yeah, the game’s there. Another top five in a major; I guess doesn’t really mean anything. I’ve got one more start next week in Hartford [the Travelers Championship] before I go to the Open Championship [at St Andrews]. I’ll get two weeks of good rest before the Open and play some links golf and prepare and look forward to that.”
McIlroy is one of three players, along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, to have won four majors by the age of 25. He was a bet exchange favourite at the time but, now 33, McIlroy has failed to add to that total. His last major championship success came in 2014, when he won the PGA Championship and the Open.
In the time since, McIlroy has placed himself in the top 10 of a major 16 times. Speaking about his chances of going on and winning his fifth major, McIlroy continued: “Again, my game’s in good shape. I’ve got one more chance this year to try to get that major. It’s still not quite close enough. There were a few holes there today where I made the birdie and then made bogey at the next. To win golf tournaments you just can’t do that.”
McIlroy’s major drought has been the topic of much conversation on the tour for some time now, and while his promising performances will continue to give him, and his fans, encouragement, the Northern Irishman’s continued inability to bag a fifth major will continue to be a source of surprise for many in golf.
The field is certainly stacked, although the continued growth of the rival LIV Golf series will thin the herd a little. However, McIlroy shouldn’t need any help. In the early years of his career, McIlroy was considered a future superstar of the sport, potentially on the level of Woods or Nicklaus, but he’s failed to live up to that billing.
McIlroy is still stuck on four majors, while Nicklaus and Woods have won 18 and 15 respectively. The Northern Irishman will be hoping to keep all that out of his mind, however. All he can do is focus on his own game, as he appears to be doing. If he manages that, the fifth major should come in time.
