Rory McIlroy may have fallen short of success at The Open, but he still produced an admirable showing in front of his home fans.
McIlroy would have liked his chances at The Open, but at the same time he was under huge pressure to perform at Royal Portrush.
In the end he finished T7 on home soil, with McIlroy enjoying a strong major season overall, which included winning The Masters.
McIlroy is now a five-time major champion, and is one of just six players to have completed the career grand slam.
His focus will soon turn to the Ryder Cup, where the Northern Irishman will be eager to continue his strong season.
The ‘super easy’ Rory McIlroy tip to help amateur golfers with bunker shots
Countless factors are behind his stunning success, including his efforts from the bunker, for which he has used a simple drill to help improve in that area.
As per Cure My Swing, he offered a running commentary with his demonstration: “If you really want to work on path, I like to draw a little station in the bunker if I’m practicing.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy confirms what he plans to do next before the Ryder Cup after competing at The Open
“So say where my target line is at this red one. So I do this, and then I just try to make the T there. And I try to set up with my left heel on that. And basically I’m trying to get this club shaft on the same line as this line.
“And then from there it’s just super easy to go ahead and return it back there and get the bounce under the ball and swing on the target line.”
Who leads the PGA Tour for sand save percentage in 2025?
Of course, McIlroy’s ‘super easy’ is likely an amateur golfer’s ‘super hard’, but it is still a valuable tip that could help make all the difference.
The current green jacket holder has found himself in the sand plenty of times, although he is more often than not able to recover with relative ease.
That said, McIlroy can certainly improve that area of his game, as he currently ranks 86th on the PGA Tour for sand save percentage with his figure of 57.81%.
It is Hideki Matsuyama who leads the way in that regard this season, climbing three spots to first place after The Open.
| Rank | Player | % | #Saves | #Bunkers | Total O/U par |
| 1 | Hideki Matsuyama | 72.73% | 80 | 110 | +17.00 |
| 2 | Michael Kim | 72.12% | 75 | 104 | +21.00 |
| 3 | Ryo Hisatsune | 72.04% | 67 | 93 | +9.00 |
| 4 | Matteo Manassero | 70.69% | 41 | 58 | +6.00 |
| 5 | William Mouw | 68.29% | 56 | 82 | +22.00 |
| 6 | Brice Garnett | 68.18% | 45 | 66 | +9.00 |
| 7 | Patton Kizzire | 68.00% | 51 | 75 | +10.00 |
| 8 | Quade Cummins | 66.67% | 54 | 81 | +23.00 |
| =9 | Tom Hoge | 66.41% | 85 | 128 | +34.00 |
| =9 | Si Woo Kim | 66.41% | 85 | 128 | +12.00 |
Bunkers were indeed in the spotlight ahead of the final major of 2025, with The Open organisers changing the rake design at Royal Portrush.
In another big change, caddies were forced to rake the bunkers after their players got into difficulty on the iconic links course.
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