A quadruple bogey eight on the par-4 fifth and 71-78 and lost over 10 strokes to the field. Sounds brutal right? Well, it is. When these scores are associated with a grand slam winner, its brutality becomes even greater. This recent performance marked a stark contrast to Rory McIlroy’s otherwise stellar season; he hadn’t finished outside the top 20 until the PGA Championship, where he finished T47. The second-worst mark of his career is now raising concerns ahead of the US Open, and now the whole golf world is questioning whether this is the same McIlroy who they saw winning the 2025 Masters tournament.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Second Cut Golf Podcast on YouTube, hosts Rick Gehman and Greg DuCharme discussed Rory McIlroy’s recent struggles, particularly after his Masters win. Gehman noted that he had initially praised McIlroy’s accomplishment but now believes he was wrong in thinking it would translate to sustained practice and motivation. Gehman stated, “At the time, I was like, ‘Man this is great this career accomplishment, he’s very happy.’ I did not necessarily believe that it was going to infiltrate practice moving forward and ability to get amped up for golf tour tournaments. I believe I was wrong.”
McIlroy’s recent performance has raised concerns, including missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open. Gehman expressed his worries, saying, “There have been a couple of concerning quotes that I think by themselves you can take however you want but when you start adding them up, I’m starting to get more worried.”
Well, the worry for McIlroy’s gameplay ahead of the 2025 US Open reflects what happened last year when Bryson DeChambeau edged him out by a single shot, thanks to a remarkable chip from a bunker on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2. McIlroy had a heartbreaking near-miss, inexplicably missing a short par putt for the second time in three holes on the 18th, allowing DeChambeau to capitalize and claim his second U.S. Open title.
DuCharme chimed in, questioning McIlroy’s preparation for the U.S. Open, saying, “So, I think it just brings up bigger issues like what’s gonna happen next week. He’s so far from US Open already, miles away. How quickly can he get tuned up and does he wanna get tuned up? We talked about, earlier this week, the struggles to go put in through four hours of work, does the US Open give him that motivation?”
February 2, 2025, Pebble Beach, Ca, USA: Rory McIlroy during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2025 at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 02, 2025 in Pebble Beach, California. Photo: Casey Flanigan/imageSPACE Pebble Beach USA – ZUMAi237 20250202_zsa_i237_203 Copyright: xFlanigan/Imagespacex
Well, maybe. But it is safe to say that the golfer’s confidence has taken a hit with his gameplay.
Rory McIlroy’s US Open prep hits a snag
Rory McIlroy’s buildup to the US Open at Oakmont took an unexpected turn when he missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open, his first since last July’s Open Championship. McIlroy struggled to a six-over-par 78 in the second round, including a quadruple bogey on the par-4 fifth hole, finishing 21 shots back of leader Cameron Chance.
“Of course it concerns me. You don’t want to shoot high scores like the one I did today,” McIlroy admitted. His new TaylorMade Qi35 driver didn’t quite work out, with him losing 2.187 strokes off the tee and hitting only 42% of fairways. As McIlroy noted, “Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn’t.”
McIlroy’s struggles continued, with him losing 10.178 shots to the field in the second round, the second-worst performance in that stat in his career. “Obviously going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways,” McIlroy said.
“Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. Obviously for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn’t. Yeah, that’s a concern going into next week.” Can McIlroy find his magic before the US Open, or will his clubs continue to play hide-and-seek with his form? Let us know in the comment section below!
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