All eyes will be on Rory McIlroy when he tees off at Royal Troon later this week. The Ulsterman believes he is close to his elusive fifth major. McIlroy reaffirmed that he has moved on from the two brutal misses at the U.S. Open. But there are few takers for it. 

The Open Championship recently shared a clip of McIlroy’s brilliant bunker shot on the 10th at St. Andrews two years ago. Nuclr Golf retweeted the clip, asking its followers about McIlroy’s chances. “Rory McIlroy will finish in ____ place at The Open,” they captioned the post. The responses were not very pleasant for the 26-time PGA Tour winner. 

Fans remember what happened afterward. Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland headed to Sunday tied for the lead. In the final round, the Ulsterman was moving at a steady pace. However, his putter turned ice-cold as he missed seven birdies. 

On the other hand, Cameron Smith caught fire later in the round. A bogey-free 64 toppled McIlroy from the top. Smith picked up five consecutive birdies in the back nine on his way to a record-breaking 30 in the back nine. The Northern Irishman instead, slipped to third, with Cameron Young, who carded 65, taking up his second spot. 

A year later, the U.S. Open heartbreak at LACC was more brutal. And then last month, the Pinehurst catastrophe left him devastated for a few days. Although, McIlroy said he had put that in the rearview mirror, netizens feel his chances at the Open are slim. 

Rory McIlroy ‘won’t win’, fans deliver a scathing verdict 

Interestingly, two years ago, McIlroy’s words were an echo of what he had repeatedly said. He is resilient, and he can bounce back. “At the end of the day, it’s not life or death. I’ll have other chances to win the Open Championship and other chances to win majors. It’s one that I feel like I let slip away, but there will be other opportunities,” McIlroy said from St. Andrews. 

Twice the opportunity came, but the door was yet to open. Some believe it has forever closed for the 35-year-old. One frustrated user tweeted, “I’m so so done with Rory can you move on please?” On a similar note, another commented, “10th, 5 shots back with another “valiant effort” on Sunday after barely making the cut.” Whereas, a third user simply wrote, “Backdoor Top 10.”

Some of them believe once again Rory McIlroy would come close and probably mount a spectacular round on Sunday. But the Pinehurst disaster has left a scar that McIlroy has yet to erase from his mind. “Won’t win. Won’t be contending on Sunday but likely top10. Bryson is in his head forever. No amount of time could heal that,” one of them commented. 

In his last appearance before heading to Royal Troon, Rory McIlroy tied for 4th. For the majority of the first two rounds, the Ulsterman was close to the top. However, his putter didn’t step up at the right moment. “I had a lot of chances that I wasn’t able to convert, and that was sort of the story of the week,” McIlroy admitted later. 

A section of fans are sure that the story will be the same this week as well. Interestingly, Rory McIlroy has the second-lowest odds at ESPN BET at +800. But not all are convinced. “I’m not wagering on him,” one of them declared. 

It’s abundantly clear that McIlroy’s words are not enough to assuage golf fans. Only if Rory McIlroy can capitalize on his chances will they be convinced. For that, the Ulsterman needs to convert the clutch putts that have so far destroyed his chances.