Rory McIlroy Open misery summed up as he smashes himself in the face

When Rory McIlroy inadvertently struck himself in the face with his own golf club, it was the epitome of a bad Open Championship.

After winning the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, Rory McIlroy is leaving early.

Following a respectable showing at the Scottish Open, McIlroy, 35, recovered from his heartbreak at the US Open and entered the major in high spirits.

However, this week at the Ayrshire links, the wind overcame the Northern Irishman.

With rounds of 77-75, the four-time major winner was heading home alongside many well-known players.

During his disastrous second round, McIlroy hit a snap hook left from 93 yards and nearly whiffed on the par-5 sixth hole while attempting to move the ball forward from the dense hay.

When things continued to get worse, all he could do was laugh.

To be fair, McIlroy never gave up, finishing the back nine at 2-under par.

However, the harm had already been done.

However, the highlight of his week was when he inadvertently struck his own face with his own golf club.

Check that out here:

I believe that’s it. #TheOpen #Rory McNeill pic.twitter.com/doMC7gQpxC

— @Simon_Murdoch, the media mogul 19 July 2024
How did Rory McIlroy describe his nightmare about Open?
In essence, that he was overcome by the wind.

“I felt pretty uncomfortable over a few shots yesterday on the back nine because I didn’t adapt well at all to that left-to-right wind. And then this afternoon, going out in that gusty wind on the front, it got the better of me,” he said.

Despite this, a defiant McIlroy stated that he still has a lot of work to do in 2025.

He’s going to focus now on the Olympic Games in Paris.

“Even though we play four events a year, I feel like I say this at every Open Championship,” he continued.

There are still a few things to play for because we play in a group of about 25.

“Obviously, the majors have come and gone, but there are still some things to work for until the end of the year. To sort of refocus and try to reset for the Olympics, which will be another cool experience, and then again, I’m in contention to try to win both titles on either side of the Atlantic.”