LIVE
...

Follow us on

News

Rory McIlroy reveals what he really struggled with on the final day at the Scottish Open which stopped him from winning

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Add as preferred source on Google

Rory McIlroy came up short in the Scottish Open final round as Chris Gotterup ultimately lifted the trophy.

McIlroy played alongside Gotterup and Wyndham Clark, and produced a two-under-par 68 at The Renaissance Club.

It was another step in the right direction for the Northern Irishman after his top-10 finish at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago.

However, he did struggle with a couple of things on Sunday, which he will need to figure out if he wants to win The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Rory McIlroy acknowledges the crowds during day three of the Genesis Scottish Open
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy struggled with two things at the Scottish Open

McIlroy explained why he was not able to catch his playing partner, Gotterup, shortly after the Scottish Open final round concluded.

“It was sort of hard to,” he said. “The conditions, you know, it was pretty windy. It was hard to get the ball super close. I gave myself plenty of chances coming down the stretch.”

He also seemingly put some of the blame on the greens at The Renaissance Club, as they did not roll as well as he would have liked.

“The putter, it wasn’t that I felt like I didn’t hit good putts, but I feel like the greens deteriorated as the week went on, and just got a little bumpy,” he added.

“I had some putts and some looks that felt like I hit good putts that just didn’t go in, whether they were mis-reads or poor speed here and there.

“But yeah, Chris played a great round of golf. He was so solid. Made the bogey on 15 but bounced back with a really nice birdie on 16. Yeah, after he got a couple ahead, I just couldn’t claw back.”

Rory McIlroy acknowledges the fans during round one of the Scottish Open
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy’s Scottish Open statistics highlight key issue

Despite finishing second to Gotterup after an underwhelming final round performance, McIlroy was overwhelmingly positive about his play at the tournament.

“It’s been a great week,” he continued. “I’m really happy with where my game is, the way I played over the weekend, the shots that I hit, and how I controlled my ball flight. It has been a great week. Missing the trophy, that’s about it.”

McIlroy played well in every aspect except one at the Scottish Open: driving. He only ranked 91st in the field in that category.

StatisticStrokes GainedRank
Off the Tee-0.1391st
Approach+1.1017th
Around the Green+0.6912th
Putting+1.698th

McIlroy is arguably the greatest driver of the golf ball in history, so it is particularly surprising to see him struggle in that area.

At least the other areas of his game are in tip-top condition, and he knows exactly what to work on before The Open starts at Royal Portrush.