Rory McIlroy returns to Royal Liverpool hoping to rekindle 2014 magic

HOYLAKE, England — As Rory McIlroy arrived on the scene at the 151^st British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on Monday, the memories of his victory here in 2014 came flooding back.

“Maybe not as much as you would think,” he said. “Over the past nine years a lot has happened in my life and I’ve played a lot of golf tournaments. But yeah, there’s a few things that I remember, and it’s nice to get back on to the golf course and sort of refamiliarize myself with it.”

Perhaps he remembered the goose bumps he felt during Saturday’s third round as he walked to the 18^th green before rolling in a 10-foot eagle putt, his second in three holes. Ninety minutes earlier, McIlroy had been tied for the lead before his hot streak broke the championship wide open as he built a commanding six-stroke 54-hole lead.

“It wasn’t quite the championship, but it put one hand on the Claret Jug,” McIlroy said. “I just needed to go out Sunday and not do anything stupid. That Saturday afternoon was huge.”

He claimed his third major championship a day later and the third leg of the career Grand Slam at age 25. He would go on to win the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship in back-to-back weeks a month later, yet, improbably, 33 major starts since that PGA at Valhalla, he’s still stuck at four Grand Slam titles.

The script seemed written for him to end his major drought at last year’s Open at St. Andrews but his putter cooled off on Sunday and Cameron Smith dashed past him to claim the Claret Jug. After his media obligations were over, McIlroy drove off in a golf cart crying on his wife’s shoulders. Just last month, at the U.S. Open, in what seemed like a bad case of déjà vu, McIlroy played another solid round but was unable to make a birdie after the opening hole, losing by a stroke to Wyndham Clark. More heartbreak for McIlroy, who has six top-10 finishes in his last seven major starts, including two seconds and a third. Yet he’s proven time and again that he’s willing to get off the proverbial mat and come back swinging.

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“I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship,” he said after the U.S. Open disappointment.

When McIlroy etched his name on the Claret Jug in 2014, he was at the peak of his powers.

“When you know you’re in control of your swing, it makes everything a little bit easier,” he said back in 2014.

He’s been chasing that form ever since, and just might be on the verge of a similar run. McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in each of his last six starts, his longest such stretch since he had a streak of seven straight before the 2019-2020 season was suspended due to COVID-19. He made birdie on the final two holes Sunday to nip Robert MacIntyre and win the Genesis Scottish Open, his 24^th PGA Tour title, and improved to No. 2 in the world.

“I don’t feel like it really proves anything,” McIlroy said on Sunday. “I don’t feel like I need to prove anything in my career, but it’s satisfying to know that for me that I can still do it.”

NBC’s Brad Faxon, who doubles as McIlroy’s putting coach, argued that there can be no better preparation for competing in a major than to duel in the heat of battle for a title ahead of one of the four weeks that matter most.

“I don’t buy that you can practice better for a major by staying home. I think this is the best thing he could have done. Is it better to finish fourth place than first? I don’t think so,” Faxon said.

But it is winning majors that McIlroy knows will determine how he is remembered in the game. Whenever someone asks him to reflect on his career to date, he always circles back to his 18-year-old self at Carnoustie making his Open debut in 2007.

“If you were to tell him in 15-16 years’ time, this is where you would be in your career I would’ve thought, oh my goodness, I’ve hit the lottery and all my dreams have come true,” McIlroy said in an interview with The Open’s website. “I’m really happy with what I’ve done, I’m proud of my achievements. Are there tournaments that I could have won that have slipped through my fingers? Yes. But I feel like I’ve won my fair share and I’ve become a much more consistent golfer and that will only give me more opportunities to win big tournaments and big championships.”

“When I look at the big picture, I’m really happy with my body of work,” he added, but putting his name on the Claret Jug in 2014 “feels a long time ago…Happy to have it on once but would love to put it on again.”