McIlroy ‘getting used to’ painful near-misses16th September 2024
They were scenes from a film we have seen before – and recently.
There was the putt on the 72nd hole sliding past. There was the crowd stunned into silence. There was the consoling pat on the back from Harry Diamond. And there was, at the centre of it all, a dejected protagonist.
Yes, for Rory McIlroy, an immensely enjoyable week back home ended with a familiar sinking feeling as the home favourite’s bid to seal a memorable Irish Open win at Royal County Down was crushed by the brilliance of Rasmus Hojgaard.
McIlroy was battling to banish two different demons on the Newcastle links he knows so well: the lingering pain of his US Open near-miss and the memories of his previous appearances competing on Northern Irish soil.
When Royal County Down staged the 2015 Irish Open, he had the ignominy of watching the weekend’s play on TV after missing the cut. It was the same story four years later at the Open when his challenge at Royal Portrush met an early end.
This is a different kind of pain in front of his home fans, though. Having contended all week, McIlroy made costly errors on two of his last four holes – evoking memories of US Open collapse in June – to open the door for Hojgaard.
After losing the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy skipped media duties. Here, however, he fronted up and attempted to take the positives from a near-perfect week back home.
“I’m getting used to it unfortunately this year,” McIlroy said of his near-misses this year, which also included faltering late in the final round of the Olympics event.
“Hopefully the tide is going to turn pretty soon, and I can turn all these close calls into victories.”