Tranlate this title Rory McIlroy’s comments analyzed: Not something you would hear from Tiger Woods in spanish

Rory McIlroy finished this year’s Genesis Scottish Open in a tie for 7th place with a total score of 12-under par (-12), while South Korean golfer Tom Kim won at -17.

McIlroy’s performance at The Renaissance Club was full of dramatic ups and downs over four days of play.

He started the tournament brightly, opening the first round with a 5-under par (65), which immediately gave him a share of the lead, and he kept up the good pace on Friday when he remained at the top of the standings with a 4-under par (66) after 36 holes. However, the third round brought a big drop in scores, further complicated by the suspension of play due to dense fog on Saturday night.

The continuation on Sunday morning brought him a poor 3-over par (73), which left him behind the leaders and fell to six shots behind. However, in the final round played on Sunday afternoon, McIlroy showed champion character and tied the best score of the day with an excellent 6-under-par 64, which ultimately put him back in the top ten.

Rory McIlroy is unhappy with his final rounds of the tournament, highlighting the wind. The 37-year-old spoke after the final round on Sunday about the need to practice his shots in the right-to-left wind before the next major tournament.

Rex Hoggard reacts

Such statements caused reactions. Rex Hoggard stressed during the Golf Channel podcast that Rory has pointed out this problem several times so far. 

Hoggard believes Rory suffered a serious slump in the final rounds, stressing that he simply had to play better.

“He always goes back to the right to left wind on the range. He’s talked about this a couple of times over the course of this season. I think it came up at The Players Championship, and this has been something he’s talked about. And every player has a tendency, and I understand that,” he said, as reported by HITC.

“For him to be cruising like he was, he got off to an almost flawless start, and to completely unravel on the first nine of that third round, he was four over par through nine holes, didn’t come close to making a birdie, it was just an ugly nine holes.»

Hoggard is a little confused by the comments of such an experienced player, saying that Rory McIlroy should not worry too much about such problems, drawing a parallel between the Northern Irishman and Tiger Woods. He emphasizes that Tiger Woods or some other players of that caliber would not complain about similar difficulties.

“He seemed to right the ship a little bit coming down the stretch, but it is concerning when you have a player that’s so talented, that’s accomplished so much in his career, and something as simple as the wind’s not coming from the right direction on the range, I always find that interesting because it’s not something you would hear from a Tiger Woods or I’ll even point to another player of that calibre, Ernie Els, it’s not something you even think about.

So I’m curious if Rory’s mindset is less about blaming it on something that’s wrong with his swing and just blaming it on the circumstances.” he said.

This kind of performance can certainly awaken optimism before the next major, The Open Championship, where Rory McIlroy will certainly look for a way to the title. The Northern Irish golfer remains confident, but is aware that he will have to work on certain details if he wants to be a dominant figure.

Next challenges

This exciting week in Scotland served as a final and dynamic preparation for the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. McIlroy revealed that he had done some of his preparation in strict secrecy, skipping the Travelers Championship to travel to the UK early for a scouting and practice round at Royal Birkdale. He wanted to keep the visit a secret, but the legendary Sir Nick Faldo spotted him and filmed him on his phone, leading Rory to joke that «Faldo just couldn’t put his phone away.»

He also commented on the design of Royal Birkdale, especially the redesigned 15th hole, noting that some pin positions could make the hole play extremely long and even require a 3-iron approach. However, if the tee box is moved forward, the hole could become an excellent and very interesting tactical challenge.

Despite minor mistakes in Scotland, McIlroy looks towards the new major with great optimism and confidence, recalling that he finished in a high fourth place on this same course in 2017.

An experienced golfer is aware of the challenges of the next tournament, mostly due to the presence of the best golfers who will seek their chance at The Open Championship.