TROON, Scotland – Royal Troon and blustery circumstances took a chew out of the highest of the marquee at The Open, with 5 of the world’s high 10 gamers headed dwelling from the season’s last main.
Rory McIlroy’s meltdown was the headline of the high-profile exits with the Northern Irishman imploding to rounds of 78-74 for his worst two-round complete at a significant because the 2013 Open Championship, when he missed the reduce with rounds of 79-75.
“I look again on the 2 majors that I didn’t play my greatest at, right here and the Masters, the wind obtained the higher of me on Friday at Augusta, after which the wind obtained the higher of me the final two days right here,” stated the world No. 2, who was 6 over via his first six holes Friday, together with a triple-bogey 8 at No. 4. “I didn’t adapt effectively in any respect to that left-to-right wind yesterday on the again 9, after which this afternoon going out in that gusty wind on the entrance, as I stated, it obtained the higher of me, and I felt fairly uncomfortable over a number of pictures.”
The collapse ends an eventful yr within the majors for McIlroy, who bogeyed three of his last 4 holes to lose final month’s U.S. Open by a shot and posted top-25 finishes on the PGA Championship (T-12) and Masters (T-22).
His 11-over complete left him 5 pictures faraway from the reduce line.
The person who beat McIlroy at Pinehurst, Bryson DeChambeau, can also be headed dwelling from Scotland following rounds of 76-75 for his worst begin to a significant since posting 76-80 on the 2022 Masters. The missed reduce ends a powerful run for the world’s ninth-ranked participant on this yr’s Grand Slam occasions, which embrace a victory on the U.S. Open, a runner-up displaying on the PGA Championship and a tie for sixth place on the Masters.
Winds that gusted over 30 mph and thick tough appeared to confuse DeChambeau, and his struggles on hyperlinks programs continued. He has a single top-10 end in seven begins on the sport’s oldest championship.
“It’s a very totally different check. I didn’t get any observe in it, and I didn’t actually play a lot within the rain,” he stated following the primary spherical. “It’s a tough check out right here. One thing I’m not acquainted with. I by no means grew up enjoying it, and to not say that that’s the explanation; I completed eighth at St Andrews [at the 2022 Open]. I can do it when it’s heat and never windy.”
World No. 4 Ludvig Åberg was tied with DeChambeau at 9 over par in his first begin at The Open, and No. 7 Viktor Hovland (75-77) made only one birdie in 36 holes and completed at 10 over. Hovland missed the reduce in three of the yr’s 4 majors, however he made essentially the most of his one made reduce with a third-place end on the PGA Championship.
No. 5 Wyndham Clark, final yr’s U.S. Open champion, posted the week’s worst efficiency for a top-10 participant with rounds of 78-80 for a 16-over complete.
