Rory McIlroy hopes a return to Europe for the end of the season can spark an upturn in form ahead of a huge year in 2025, and he has started strongly at the Irish Open
Rory McIlroy has made a strong start at the Irish Open (
Image: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy is just one shot off the lead at the Irish Open heading into the weekend as he vies to put his US Open woes to bed.
McIlroy carded a one-under-par second round at Royal County Down in his homeland on Friday to move one back from leader – and former LIV Golf star – Laurie Canter as the Ulsterman chases his first victory since the nightmare conclusion at Pinehurst No. 2 in June.
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McIlroy made a strong start to the season, winning the Dubai Desert Classic before a pair of victories on the PGA Tour. He seemed poised to end his decade-long wait for major championship glory when he led the US Open by two shots with only five holes to play.
But an error-strewn finish cost the 35-year-old the title, with Bryson DeChambeau taking full advantage and getting his hands on the trophy. McIlroy has appeared a shadow of himself since, failing to make the cut at The Open Championship in July. A chance to win an Olympic medal then slipped through his grasp on the back nine of the final round in Paris last month.
And McIlroy failed to contend in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, struggling at the St Jude Championship before middling performances at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship to finish tied-ninth in the season-long order of merit.
McIlroy is set for a busy end to the year, with an appearance at Wentworth next week, followed by appearances at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October before the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship in November.
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McIlroy blew a golden chance to end 10 years of heartache at the majors in June ( Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
“Any time you can shoot three under around this place you have to be happy,” McIlroy said after Thursday’s opening round – knowing all too well he has an underwhelming record on home shores, including a missed cut at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush.
“The conditions were pretty tough early on and then the wind seemed to settle a little bit those last few holes and it was nice to take advantage of that and play them the way I did.
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“Giving those shots away on 14 and 15, to get more than both of them back on the last three holes was a great way to finish and gives me plenty of momentum going into Friday morning.
“It’s nice to get off to a good start [in Northern Ireland] for a change. I enjoyed being out there, the crowds were great and it was great being out there with Tom [McKibbin] as well. Really pleased with how I started and hopefully I can continue into the next three days.”
Victory in County Down this weekend would not be enough to mask the pain of Pinehurst, but it would get him back on track ahead of a huge season in 2025 – with the PGA Championship at his beloved Quail Hollow and the Ryder Cup to look forward to.
