Rory McIlroy falls short in bid to crown British Open homecoming with the claret jug

Boston Globe

20-07-2025

'It's been an awesome week,' McIlroy said after shooting 2-under 69 to tie for seventh at the British Open. 'I've gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a claret jug, and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.'
That might be an understatement.
McIlroy even acknowledged as much.
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'He's an incredible player,' he said of Scheffler. 'He's been dominant this week. Honestly, he's been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to.'
As for Scheffler, he could only apologize for spoiling the McIlroy party.
'I know I wasn't the fan favorite today,' he said, grinning, in his post-round speech on No. 18, 'but I did hear a lot of USA and Dallas, Texas, chants.'
Scheffler might have won two majors this year and asserted himself as the game's dominant player. Yet, for many, 2025 still belongs to McIlroy after
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If McIlroy didn't quite deliver, then Royal Portrush — where he shot 61 as a 16-year-old for the course record — certainly did, gaining widespread rave reviews.
Despite being well off Scottie Scheffler's pace, Rory McIlroy had a large contingent of fans following him throughout the week at Royal Portrush, where he set the course record as a 16-year-old amateur.
Richard Heathcote/Getty
When the Open returned to Portrush in 2019 for the first time in 68 years, McIlroy was so emotional he hit his opening drive out-of-bounds, shot 79 and missed the cut.
He made amends six years later.
'I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this in front of this crowd,' McIlroy said. 'Hopefully I'll have one or two Opens left here, if the R&A decide to keep coming back — probably one while I'm still competitive and another one while I'm more gray than I already am.'
McIlroy started Sunday six strokes back from Scheffler after a wild third-round 66, and needed a minor miracle to catch his big rival.
He got up-and-down for birdie at the par-5 second hole but couldn't make a fast enough start. A bogey at No. 4, after missing the green with his approach, was a mistake he couldn't afford and he suddenly was eight shots adrift of Scheffler, who played as steady as ever.
With a large throng of fans behind him, Rory McIlroy plays out of the rough on the 17th hole during the final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush.
Jon Super/Associated Press
A double at No. 10 ended his hopes.
McIlroy couldn't reproduce his Saturday charge but at least played all four days this time.
'I tried as best as I could to keep my emotions in check, especially walking up the last there and that reception,' McIlroy said.
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'It's just been incredible to come back here and to play and at least feel like I had a chance today going out there. Just an awesome week.'