Agencies
Rory McIlroy hopes improved form with the putter can help him mount a serious challenge for the Open Championship at Royal Troon this week.
McIlroy’s consistent ball-striking put him on the fringes of contention throughout the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, but failure to make the most of his chances on the greens proved his downfall as he fell short in his defence of the title he won last year.
Ascending rounds of 65, 66, 67 and 68 left the world number two in a tie for fourth on 14 under par, four shots behind winner Robert MacIntyre.
“The reason that I like to play the week before the majors is to knock a little bit of rust off and try to get sharp, and I feel like I’ve done that this week,” McIlroy told the PGA Tour website, external after his final round in Scotland.
“If I can get the putter to co-operate and get the speed of the greens down...I feel like I’ll be in a really good spot [for the Open].”
McIlroy’s solitary Open Championship success to date came at Royal Liverpool in 2014, a victory which was followed one month later by his most recent major win at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla.
The 35-year-old, from Holywood in Northern Ireland, almost ended his 10-year major drought at the recent US Open at Pinehurst, but his putting also crucially let him down on that occasion.
Two missed putts from inside four feet on his last three holes saw McIlroy finish one behind winner Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy had birdied the last two holes to triumph at the 2023 Scottish Open but lamented his failure to convert his opportunities at the Renaissance Club this time round.
“I had a lot of chances that I wasn’t able to convert, and that was sort of the story of the week,” he said.
“I was leaving a lot of putts short, and when they do get that slow, I actually find it a little trickier to read them. The green speeds, I’ve struggled with the last couple of days.”
McIlroy was returning to action for the first time since his disappointing finish to his US Open campaign.
“I felt like the ball-striking was there pretty much every day,” he added.
“There were a few scrappy bits here and there, but overall, it was a good week to see where my game is heading into next week, especially after the back of three weeks off.
“Pleased with the week with one eye on trying to defend here, but obviously an eye on trying to get prepared for Troon as well.”
