Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy moved into the void left by the departure of Tiger Woods at the 150th Open on Saturday as he took a share of the lead.

He missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 16th and then three-putted the 17th for a bogey. Johnson was also within three shots until a bogey on the 13th and another on the par-5 14th, where his long eagle putt raced up a hill, across the green and into a pot bunker. Smith missed a short birdie chance on the 18th and had a 73. This is his first big moment in a major, and he sounded up to the task. He played a safe pitch onto the green and two-putted for bogey. Cameron Smith, who started with a two-shot lead, took double bogey on the 13th hole when he tried a bold play with his feet in a pot bunker.

Rory McIlroy has done it again. A couple of months removed from the absurd bunker-busting chip-in on the 72nd hole of the Masters, McIlroy splashed in ...

You’ve been hurt. You’ve been here before. A couple of months removed from the absurd bunker-busting chip-in on the 72nd hole of the Masters, McIlroy splashed in another at the Old Course on Saturday—this time for eagle and the outright lead (albeit briefly). The hole-out sent Golf Twitter into pure, unadulterated rapture, with the gifs pouring in thick and the illicit screengrabs fast.

Rory McIlroy watches a tee shot at the 2022 British Open. After a Saturday 66, Rory McIlroy is tied for the lead at the British Open and possibly 18 holes away ...

When he comes out of it, he is likely to lift the Claret Jug again, and if he does, he can treat himself by uttering six beautiful words: He finished all of them ranked in the top 11 in the world. He won the Players Championship and PGA Tour Player of the Year award in 2019. But at the same time, I'm trying my hardest just to stay in my own little world because that's the best way for me to get the best out of myself.” He has only won majors when scores were low and he could run away from the field. He had to stand in the bunker to hit it. Of the 24 other players who have been No. 1 in the world since the Official World Golf Rankings began in 1986, only five have won four majors. Cameron Young is also young – and is not as accomplished as Hovland. Smith has to clear his head of demons from this year’s Masters and Saturday’s round. He made bogey and is six strokes back. But this week, McIlroy has been in control of his emotions and his game. As he said afterward: “It was skill that got it somewhere close but it was luck that it went in. And that was a nice bonus.” (He also restrained himself from celebrating the eagle too much because he did not want to distract Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler, who were teeing off nearby on No. 11.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Major championships appeal to all five senses. They are often an exercise in four consecutive days of sensory overload.

Rory is one of the great frontrunners of the modern era; he gets out in front, and all you ever see are the "Back" and "Home" on the bottom of his spikes. It is not just about what he has invested emotionally in a match or a tournament; it is about what everyone has invested emotionally in a match or a tournament. "I just need to stay in my own little world for one more day, and hopefully, I can play the sort of golf that's good enough to get the job done." McIlroy will undoubtedly weep if he wins the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews on Sunday. He has done an unusually great job this week of keeping his emotions at bay, but it's roiling even now as he sleeps on a 54-hold co-lead. It just smells like the Masters. This Open doesn't smell like hay and sea and stone and the ever-present threat of rain. As McIlroy stood on the 12th tee with fans running all the way down the right side of the hole, the sun peeked out from behind a typical Scottish summer sky as if it wanted to see what the fuss was all about. "The galleries have been massive," McIlroy said. "As soon as I hit the bunker shot, I knew it was going to be close. "I mean, like the bunker shot he hit on No. 10 -- disregarding the situation you're in -- that's just a filthy bunker shot. After driving a ball into a bunker -- his first this week -- on the 10th hole, McIlroy canned his shot for drop-in eagle. McIlroy and playing partner Viktor Hovland shot 66s to co-lead at 16 under entering the final round at St. Andrews. They sit four clear of the field. The sights, sounds, smells, touches and tastes of St. Andrews were all present Saturday as Rory McIlroy put one hand on his second Claret Jug.

Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland go into the final round at St. Andrews in the lead. Some other big names are chasing. So why will each win?

Why he can win: Scheffler is the No. 1-ranked player in the world and has won more than anyone else this season. The Australian is one of the best putters in the world, and his flat stick was red hot through the first two rounds. On Sunday, Johnson skulled his tee shot on No. 18, one of the most famous holes in golf, but still somehow made birdie. Why he can't win: Young is playing in his first Open -- at the "home of golf" no less. He has never had a top-10 in 22 major starts and had missed more cuts (11) than he had made (10). Smith missed a 5-footer on the very first hole and made a bogey. Why he can win: Outside of Scheffler, McIlroy might be the best player in the world this season. When Smith won the Players in March, he had eight one-putts in the final nine holes to put it away. His best finish in a major is a tie for 12th, which he did as the low amateur at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and in last year's Open at Royal St. George's. Why he can win: Hovland, who learned to play golf in an indoor facility in Norway, is one of the most talented young players in the world. Young, who played at Wake Forest, is one of the longest hitters off the tee on tour. Hovland drives the ball extremely well and is a great ball striker.

Rory McIlroy is on a quest to end an eight-year major drought, and a holeout eagle from a bunker Saturday put him at the top of the leaderboard at St.

This year, McIlroy finished second at the Masters after a sparkling Sunday 64 -- which also featured a holed bunker shot, at the 18th hole. But he hasn't added to that total in the last eight years, a storyline that is reignited at every major. Viktor Hovland, playing with McIlroy in the second-to-last group, tied him moments later with a birdie at the 10th hole.

On an active day at the British Open, Rory McIlroy was on the move and is in position to win his fifth major.

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Can Rory McIlroy end his eight-year major drought and capture the Claret Jug? The massive galleries following him around St. Andrews sure hope so.

He dropped a 100-foot bomb on the eighth for another birdie, added three more on the back nine and shot 65. The punishing Road Hole and the benevolent 18th will combine for a must-see 1-2 punch at the end of The Open. Joking aside, the hole — as it was in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 when The Open was held on The Old Course — is the toughest on the grounds. Through three rounds of the 150th Open, the fourth and the second have offered the most resistance to red numbers among the first 11 holes (No. 4 ranks as the third-toughest, No. 2 the sixth-toughest). The two are the only holes in the first 10 that have played over par this week. No. 9 has played as the second-easiest this week, No. 5 the third-easiest, No. 10 the fifth-easiest, No. 3 the seventh-easiest, No. 7 the eighth-easiest and No. 1 the ninth-easiest. Hearing the sounds of golf spikes hitting concrete throughout the city puts a smile on your face.

Keep up with the latest from St. Andrews in Yahoo Sports' British Open tracker.

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Rory McIlroy leans on skill to get it close and luck to sink a miracle shot on the 10th hole of the British Open on Saturday.

And it was a nice result.” He called it “skill to get it somewhere close, but it was luck that it went in the hole.” I mean, like the bunker shot he hit on No. 10 — like, disregarding the situation you’re in, that’s just a filthy bunker shot. “Watching Viktor hole a couple of long ones early on,” McIlroy said while recapping. At such moments must playing partners resist the urge to try keeping up or to just go ahead and flee the course. “Yeah, that hole was sort of perched up on a little crown there,” he said. McIlroy went on down there in the little hazard, 27 yards from the cup, to attempt another of the many recoveries in a golfer’s life. “I tried not to be too animated,” he said, “because D.J. and Scottie were trying to hit their tee shots on 11. That gnarly little bunker, to the front right of the green at No. 10, the par-4 titled “Bobby Jones,” became the first bunker Rory McIlroy had visited in his 46 holes to that point all week. I didn’t want to rile the crowd up too much because they obviously wanted to hit their tee shots.” At that moment, nobody much figured there would come the shot people might end up remembering from this exalted 150th British Open at the Old Course. At that moment, nobody much figured there would come a roar that didn’t quite blare across Scotland and across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland but maybe got close. He tried to keep it just subdued enough to offset his face, which could not contain rapture. “I couldn’t really see,” Scheffler said.

Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland share a four-shot lead heading into final round of the British Open, each recording a 66.

He added birdies on the par-4 11th, par-5 12th and par-4 14th, before dropping a point on the par-3 15th with his lone bogey in three rounds. He missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 16th and then three-putted the 17th for a bogey. “Didn’t really make many putts, had a lot of good looks and fortunately made a few in the middle. Johnson also within three shots until a bogey on the 13th and another on the par-5 14th, where his long eagle putt raced up a hill, across the green and into a pot bunker. This is his first big moment in a major, and he sounded up to the task. Smith missed a short birdie chance on the 18th and had a 73. He played a safe pitch onto the green and two-putted for bogey. Instead of birdie, he had to scramble for bogey. He also three-putted from 30 feet to start his round and made just two birdies. “But at the same time, I need o keep in my own little world and try to play a good round of golf. Cameron Smith, who started with a two-shot lead, took double bogey on the 13th hole when he tried a bold play with his feet in a pot bunker. McIlroy finally caught him by holing out from a pot bunker some 80 feet away for eagle on the 10th hole, setting off a roar that could be heard all the way back at the Royal & Ancient clubhouse.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Before St. Andrews' links was condensed from 22 to 18 holes in the 18th century, setting the standard for the game that we know ...

Great Britain’s favorite son has a chance to win The Open at the Home of Golf and continue his quest to become the best player his continent has ever produced. McIlroy took the lead with a birdie at 14, but bogeyed 17 after hitting his approach near the ancient wall behind the green. There isn’t a player remaining at St. Andrews for whom his place in history is a bigger inspiration than McIlroy. On Saturday evening, after grinding through a cold and windy closing stretch, McIlroy wouldn’t indulge queries about the significance of a potential victory, however. “I just have to do that for one more day.” Entering his “cocoon” insulates him from the pressure of playing for history. He has yet to finish in the top 10 of a major, however. It’s easy to get poetic at the Old Course. The historic setting encourages it. McIlroy has finished in the top 10 of every Grand Slam event this year, leaving last month’s U.S. Open saying, “I’m closer than I’ve been in awhile.” The last of his four major triumphs was eight years ago, however. St. Andrews is the game’s spiritual center and many would agree that the story being authored at this milestone Open here appears to have been predestined by a higher power. And I'm going to try to make a dream come true tomorrow.” It turned Scotland into a staunchly Protestant country, giving rise to a faith that holds the sovereignty of God as one of its key tenets, and saw the preacher John Knox become one of Scotland’s most famous men. ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Before St. Andrews’ links was condensed from 22 to 18 holes in the 18th century, setting the standard for the game that we know today, the course’s start and finish came on a small grass hill that sits about 100 yards from what is now one of the most famous settings in golf.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy moved into the void left by the departure of Tiger Woods at the British Open, holing a bunker shot for eagle and ...

He missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 16th and then three-putted the 17th for a bogey. Johnson also within three shots until a bogey on the 13th and another on the par-5 14th, where his long eagle putt raced up a hill, across the green and into a pot bunker. Smith missed a short birdie chance on the 18th and had a 73. This is his first big moment in a major, and he sounded up to the task. He played a safe pitch onto the green and two-putted for bogey. Instead of birdie, he had to scramble for bogey. He also three-putted from 30 feet to start his round and made just two birdies. “But at the same time, I need o keep in my own little world and try to play a good round of golf. Cameron Smith, who started with a two-shot lead, took double bogey on the 13th hole when he tried a bold play with his feet in a pot bunker. McIlroy finally caught him by holing out from a pot bunker some 80 feet away for eagle on the 10th hole, setting off a roar that could be heard all the way back at the Royal & Ancient clubhouse. The R&A set the tee times that way so they would pass each other. Hopefully, we can push ourselves tomorrow.”

"I got a little emotional when Ireland won, actually," he said. "It was an unbelievable achievement for them." PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+. Access 4,300- ...

Until he's there in the middle of the 18th on Sunday lifting aloft his Holy Grail, he won't be thinking of anything apart from the next shot and staying in his cocoon. "But I was concentrating on my start to the round." As he walked over the Swilcan Bridge on Saturday, he didn't remove his cap. And this is now the first time he's led at a major after 54 holes since 2014 and that triumph at Valhalla. Before arriving at St. Andrews, the two played Ballybunion in Ireland. McIlroy said earlier in the week he was expecting to see Woods play the full four days here. But a patient McIlroy twice backed off the shot as he navigated the claustrophobia of the course with Cameron Young and Cameron Smith both teeing off from the nearby ninth. He escaped with bogey, though it could have been far, far worse and the dent on his round far greater. But McIlroy only let the emotion of that moment flitter through him for a millisecond. "I'm trying to play with discipline," he said. He lost his way in the wind at The Open here in 2010. At St. Andrews, he has kept his emotions in check as much as possible -- aside from the odd fist pump and chest-bump-awkward-hug with his caddie. I got out of what I did for three days and it was a tough lesson.

On an active day at the British Open, Rory McIlroy was on the move and is in position to win his fifth major.

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Live scores, updates and highlights from the final round of the historic 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.

pic.twitter.com/q0K9DEEcdL July 17, 2022 Visit https://t.co/hFs5Z66Gmnto plant a tree for just $2. @Mastercardwill match your donation. Feeling completely overwhelmed by the day and the week and the sense of place. Who's winning the gold medal this afternoon? 🏅— The Open (@TheOpen) #The150thOpen https://t.co/O1TPRiPeW6 July 17, 2022 Garrick Higg is one worse at 5 under alongside Burns. Drank a coffee at the Morris gravesite and wandered the ruins of an 800-year-old castle. With a star-studded field atop the leaderboard, St. Andrews serving as a historic backdrop and the pressure on given this is the final major of the year, the 150th Open has already been one remember. Gusts may top 20 mph but the main wind will hold around 10 mph. If this is the case, it would securely be a two horse race. McIlroy and Hovland will be the final pairing on Sunday after providing the drama in the penultimate game of Saturday's round. I am not quite sure how much firmer the Old Course can get, so the slight wind and tricked up pins will serves as the main defenses -- as they have all week.

Rory McIlroy, in search of his first major since 2014, is tied for the lead with Norway's Viktor Hovland entering Sunday's final round at St. Andrews.

Brian Harman, Kevin Kisner, Dean Burmester, Abraham Ancer, Sadom Kaewkanjana and Xander Schauffele are all at 11 under. Cameron Smith, who led heading into Saturday’s third round, has two birdies on the front to pull within three shots of the lead. First-round leader Cameron Young is also three back, while 2013 champion Adam Scott, 2017 champ Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood and Si Woo Kim are five back.

McIlroy leapfrogged to the top of the leaderboard with a stunning bunker shot on No. 10 for eagle. He and Hovland were tied heading into the final round on ...

But McIlroy made birdies of his own on Nos. 5, 6 and 9 before his eagle from the sand on No. 10 and another birdie on No. 15 that gave him back the outright lead. McIlroy might be nine years older, but he and Hovland developed a good rapport after playing (and losing) on the same Ryder Cup squad for Europe last year. It was not quite enough to shake free of Hovland in the third round. McIlroy is trying to end an eight-year major drought by prevailing at the ultimate Open venue. “Talked about a whole bunch of stuff,” McIlroy said. The weather is forecast to remain relatively benign on Sunday, with moderate winds and temperatures in the mid-70s. “There’s a lot of things that can happen,” Hovland said. “I love that I have got so much support,” he said. But Hovland, a 24-year-old Norwegian who excelled at Oklahoma State before turning professional in 2019, did not let McIlroy enjoy the lead alone for long. McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, was certainly the crowd favorite, but Hovland, a dynamic presence, did not shrink from the challenge. He and Hovland were tied heading into the final round on Sunday. “It was skill to get it somewhere close,” McIlroy said.

Cameron Young and Cameron Smith were each 2 under for their rounds and three shots behind. The only player going the wrong direction was Masters champion ...

Keep up with the latest from St. Andrews in Yahoo Sports' British Open tracker.

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With a Sunday 64 on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Australia's Cameron Smith won the 150th British Open for his first major title.

The only mistake he made was a poor approach to the 17th green, the Road Hole. You can’t miss it left there, and Smith did – leaving himself virtually no shot. His birdie at the 11th cut the lead to one before McIlroy followed with his birdie at the 10th. He had made five straight and gone a shot ahead of McIlroy. Smith then made birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th holes – where he two-putted from 80 feet. And I'm going to try to make a dream come true tomorrow.’’ “The ovations coming on the greens, with the big grandstands.

Cameron Smith erupted on the back nine Sunday to win The Open Championship at 20 under and deny 54-hole co-leader Rory McIlroy his first major title since.

Sunday’s win marks his best performance at a major since a T2 finish at the 2020 Masters. Didn't feel like I did many things wrong but the putter just sort of went cold on me there pretty much throughout the round." McIlroy, who shot a final-round 70 with two birdies to finish 18 under, was looking to snap an eight-year major drought, but finished third.

Rory McIlroy and Cam Smith staged a furious battle down the stretch at St. Andrews to close out a remarkable British Open.

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Cameron Smith produced a sensational final-round 64 at St Andrews to overtake the overnight leader Rory McIlroy and claim the Open Championship.

With Greg Norman fronting the Saudi Arabian-backed operation, which McIlroy sits in such stark opposition to, there is a joke somewhere about Australians causing grief to the Northern Irishman. Now just may not be the time to tell it. With McIlroy and Viktor Hovland in the final group, it was the Norwegian who blinked first. It’s the way it is.” “If you lose by eight you don’t really care.” The 25-year-old’s curious major year has seen two missed cuts, a tied third and a second. Smith, who won the Players Championship in May, is enjoying the time of his life. The lead was now shared. McIlroy needed to make short work of the par five 14th but could not after failing to reach the green in two. He played with a day-four fearlessness that renders him the worthy champion of such a landmark event. Smith’s 19 under played McIlroy’s 18 under as the former birdied the 14th. Smith’s 20 under par saw off Young by one and a rueful but magnanimous McIlroy by two. The crowd offered an impromptu roar in vain hope of sporting fairytale. It is difficult to state McIlroy did much wrong during round four, save perhaps not capitalise appropriately on opportunity.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – "With a score of 268, the winner of the gold medal and the Champion Golfer of the Year, is Cameron Smith." At 7 p.m. local time, ...

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The four-time major winner, eight years into trying for the fifth, hit every green in the final round at St. Andrews. It just turned out that Cameron Smith ...

As he said, “It's one of the best seasons I've had in a long time.” As Hovland said: “He's come awfully close and played really well this year. The crowd showered McIlroy with affection all week – not just because of his previous achievements or how he played, but because of the stands he has taken. He had to make a 33-yard chip through the Valley of Sin to force a playoff. This week, McIlroy came as close as a player could to winning a major without actually winning the major. McIlroy had a terrific year at the majors: second at the Masters, eighth at the PGA, tied for fifth at the U.S. Open, and third here. He was patient and poised – and ultimately, he was just a victim of Cam Smith’s excellence, like everybody else. If he had needed birdie on 18, he probably would have made one and shot a final-round 69. He needed to make a putt or two, and he needed Smith to not shoot a closing 64 like he did. If he had made one mid-range putt earlier in the round, he probably would have forced a playoff. That was part of a pattern: He has often shown up, played himself out of contention early, and then played freely with the pressure off and made a backdoor top 10. He took the lead Saturday night, and he said, “my hotel room is directly opposite the big yellow board on 18 there, right of the 1st. If he made a significant mistake, it was tactical: “There's a lot of putts today where I couldn't just trust myself to start it inside the hole.

Even someone watching golf for the first time in their life on Sunday could have summed up why Rory McIlroy didn't win the 150th British Open.

In fact, McIlroy's final two-putt par on 18 left him in solo third behind Cameron Young, who eagled the hole moments before. And not literally, because, he obviously converted a lot of tap-ins—18 of them, in fact. Maybe during another year, but not one with a record-tying score of 20 under.

Cameron Smith stole the claret jug from Rory McIlroy's grasp, carding six birdies Sunday at St. Andrews and capping a 64-64 weekend to win the 150th Open ...

"I was expecting I was going to hang in there for a little bit longer. Yeah, just really proud of how I kind of knuckled down today and managed to get it done." What it means: Coming into this 150th Open, McIlroy spoke of the significance of winning a claret jug at St. Andrews’ prized Old Course. He called the achievement the “holy grail” of professional golf, so though McIlroy already possessed one Open title, in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, he wanted this one badly. Smith added a birdie at the last with a closing 8-under 64, but he actually won this championship a hole earlier, at the par-4 Road Hole, where he piped a drive down the fairway only to smother one left and well short of the green. If I had made the birdies there from good positions, it probably would have been a different story." Yeah, managed to get away with a 4 there." "I kind of had to draw a 9-iron in there. It's one that I feel like I let slip away, but there will be other opportunities." Yeah, just stuck to what I was doing. No bunkers, no three-putts, take care of the drivable par 4s and take care of the par 5s. "It's just one of those days where I played a really controlled round of golf. And for good measure, he didn’t miss a green in regulation.

Cameron Smith got hot, Rory McIlroy's putter got cold and St. Andrews played easy. A look at what mattered most at the 150th playing of The Open.

Smith, 28, is the sixth straight winner of a major by a player who is in his 20s. The ball was kind of staying on the ground. For much of the week, with so much attention on McIlroy and Woods, you might have barely noticed that PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young was in contention. Morikawa won the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park and the 2021 Open at Royal St. George's. "But at the end of the day, he keeps playing the way he's doing, he's going to get one pretty soon, I think at least. It was the ninth time he has finished in the top five at a major since last winning one. McIlroy finished in the top 10 in each of the four majors this season. Smith seemed to arrive at the Players in March, when he won $3.6 million, the richest purse for a winner in PGA Tour history. Playing one group behind Smith, McIlroy made a birdie on the par-4 10th to move to 18-under. From 75 feet away, he putted to 2 feet and made his eighth birdie of the round. Then on the par-5 14th, Smith nearly made an 87-foot eagle putt and tapped in for birdie and a 1-shot lead. PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young eagled the 18th hole to finish solo second, 1 shot behind Smith. McIlroy, who was trying to win his fifth major, finished a disappointing third at 18-under.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Rory McIlroy let himself dream. He couldn't help it.

“I was always starting it on the edge or just outside thinking it was going to move. While Smith was in the midst of his birdie streak, McIlroy couldn’t capitalize on two of St. Andrews’ drivable par-4s, Nos. 9 and 12, and parred the par-5 14th when a birdie would have pulled him even with Smith. McIlroy missed long birdie putts on 15 and 16, as well, and a 20-footer on the difficult 17th after Smith had two-putted from behind the Road Bunker. Smith’s birdie on the final hole meant McIlroy needed to make eagle on 18. A round on the historic grounds elicits a variety of emotions. This the first time in his career that McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in all four majors. He drove it well and didn’t make a bogey, but also couldn’t hit his approach shots close enough or take advantage of the Old Course’s drivable par-4s. He spoke this week about the trust he has in his game, and the freedom it has produced. “I just couldn't find the shots or the putts to do that.” His 70 left him in third place, two strokes behind winner Cameron Smith. Smith birdied the first five holes of the back nine and closed with 30 en route to a Sunday 64. A win would have tied Ballesteros with five major triumphs and leave him one short of Faldo’s record for most majors by a European player since World War I. McIlroy is the player in today’s game who gives the most consideration to context. His legacy is his priority at this point in his career, and only a victory at Augusta National would do more for it. But each time he peered out his hotel-room window, he allowed himself to imagine what could have been the most important victory of his career. The enormous yellow scoreboard that stood stories above St. Andrews’ final hole stared back at him whenever he looked out the window of his hotel room.

A realistic Rory McIlroy, who finished two shots behind Australia's Cameron Smith at The Open on Sunday, appeared ready to turn the page after the ...

"I've just got to keep putting myself in position, keep putting myself in there," McIlroy said. I want to finish the season off right. Despite the disappointments in majors, McIlroy has played some of the best golf of his career this season. I want to finish the season off well. But I just have to dust myself off and come again and keep working hard and keep believing." McIlroy will have to wait nine more months for his next chance, at the Masters in April. He finished a career-best solo second at Augusta National this past spring. "I was hitting good putts," McIlroy said. "At the start of the day, it was at the top, but at the start of tomorrow, it won't be. McIlroy didn't play poorly; he just didn't play well enough to win the Claret Jug. He hit 18 of 18 fairways. Jason Day was the other in 2015. He didn't let this one slip away as much as others in the past. I'm not a robot," McIlroy said.

In doing so, McIlroy would break his eight-year major duck, proving that he is one of the all-timers. As the emergent defender of the PGA Tour faith, LIV golf ...

You don’t want to write off a guy this young, but it is starting to feel as though McIlroy is one of those pros who cannot get out of his own head. He pulled off his cap and you could really see the grey in his hair. Given the occasion, his five birdies between the 10th and 14th holes stand as one of the great stretches of play in major history. He last won a big one in 2014. That was the only interesting thing he said, and it wasn’t true. With the whole of Britain wishing him ill, Smith did it like it was nothing. McIlroy didn’t just lose the Open on Sunday. He lost it in the most Rory McIlroy way possible. In doing so, McIlroy would break his eight-year major duck, proving that he is one of the all-timers. Between the pubescent ‘stache, the unironic mullet and the flat-billed ballcap, Smith looks like a cartoon mouse that races Go-Karts for a living. It’s difficult to say in retrospect when one guy becomes the other. Didn’t shank one into the crowd. You could already feel every golf journo in the world weeping onto his keyboard as McIlroy broke down during the trophy ceremony.

Rory McIlroy said he envisioned what it would feel like to win an Open Championship at the Old Course. This isn't the ending he expected.

After making seven straight pars, he chipped it into the slope on 18 and it released well past the hole. After Smith birdied the short 18th — which was no surprise — McIlroy needed an eagle to force a playoff. Smith elected to putt around the bunker and left himself 10 feet to save par and keep his lead, and he drained it. McIlroy was tied with Hovland through 54 holes, and it was fitting that he was in the pole position. McIlroy was one under on the front and made the turn leading by three, but Smith, playing in the pairing ahead, opened his back nine with birdies on 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, with the fifth of those giving him the outright lead. Fans without tickets crammed against the fence on The Links, hoping to get close enough to get a peek of the scene. The fans who weren’t following him were waiting to see him down the stretch, standing in long lines to get into the 1st hole grandstands to secure a view of the 18th green. Two days earlier, McIlroy had shared a fairway with and tipped his cap to Woods, who was perhaps playing in his final Open at St. Andrews, and it seemed as if the stage was now his. He hasn’t won a major for nearly eight years; he’s tried lots of things to deal with the nerves, the thoughts, the overanalyzing. One of the top hotels in town, it overlooks the 18th hole at the Old Course. There’s a balcony out back, and earlier this week McIlroy pointed out where his family was staying to Tiger Woods. They waved to Poppy, McIlroy’s 1-year-old daughter. He entered the day tied with Viktor Hovland and four clear of anyone else. From his room at the Rusacks, McIlroy said he had a view of the Open Championship leaderboard on the far side of the 1st fairway.

After a third-place finish at the British Open, McIlroy is still stuck searching for that elusive fifth major championship.

All of that is clearly of little solace to McIlroy. It said Sunday night — and it will say for eternity — that Smith won the 150th Open because his putter was otherworldly and McIlroy’s was ordinary. Tiger Woods went 11 years between majors 14 and 15 — but he was 43 for the most recent. Writing about McIlroy so often involves writing about the state of his sport, so a note to those players who have departed for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf: How will you stay sharp between now and the next major, which is the Masters eight months hence? For the LIV Golf guys — whose highest finishers at the Open were Dustin Johnson, who tied for sixth and was never a threat Sunday, and Bryson DeChambeau, whose final-round 66 lifted him to a tie for eighth — there’s … what, exactly? But he was all but a different person back then, and his next major was the ultimate bounce-back — a romp in the U.S. Open at Congressional, the week that has provided all the promise every time he tees it up. Here’s the reality, so troubling, so static: In the summer of 2014, McIlroy was a carefree 25-year-old raking in the British Open and the PGA Championship to run his total to four majors — and counting. So many of those who departed from the PGA Tour to take the grubby Saudi money offered the feeble and false reasoning that LIV Golf would allow for more freedom in their scheduling. For a player who is often defined either by a strut that would make a peacock seem bashful or a slump that would make Eeyore seem buoyant, for so much of the weekend, McIlroy was just … playing. That was true when he hit the shot that made you think, “Maybe this is finally his week,” a hole-out from a bunker on No. 10 for a third-round eagle Saturday. Yes, he pumped his fist. In the summer of 2022, he is the 33-year-old voice of his sport, a star on both sides of the Atlantic. Total majors: Four. Sure, he blew a four-shot lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters, memorably shooting an 80 on a day characterized by a trip to the cabins to the left of the 10th fairway. He played the final round of the 150th British Open without a bogey.

Cameron Smith charged his way into history on the Old Course, a Sunday stunner at St. Andrews that sent the Australian to his first major by overcoming Rory ...

He left short a 6-foot putt with about a foot of break on the 15th. He came up short with a wedge on the next hole. The nefarious Road Hole bunker was between him and the flag on the 17th. He hit a nifty pitch to 5 feet for birdie on the short 10th. From 80 feet away, his pace up the slope and toward the cup was close to perfect, leaving him a tap-in birdie to finish at 20-under 268. His 8-under 64 was the lowest final round by a champion in the 30 times golf's oldest championship has been played at St Andrews.

Rory McIlroy built a two-stroke lead with nine holes to go at St. Andrews but couldn't hold off the charge of British Open winner Cameron Smith.

At the start of the day, it was at the top, but at the start of tomorrow, it won't be." Of course, you think about it, and you envision it, and you want to envision it," he said. The end result is a failure and like Vesuvius he has to wait until April to begin the quest of pushing the ball up the mountain again. But despondent is what he looked like as he hid his face in his wife's embrace. "I'm playing some of the best golf I've played in a long time. The World No. 2 had his strut back this week and was playing chess against the fabled seaside links in a way that would have made past champions here like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods proud.