McIlroy finished in a share of 40th place at the Open Championship after shooting a one-over 71 on Sunday.
Analysis:It was not the week McIlroy was looking for as he was trying to bookend the 2026 major season with victories, and win the Claret Jug for the first time since 2014. McIlroy employed an interesting strategy at Royal Birkdale of trying to hit it as far as he could and going and finding it in the dried out fescue. He absolutely lapped in the field in SG: Off-the-Tee, gaining nearly 10 shots in that category alone, nearly doubling up second place in that statistic. Everything else seemed to be a bit off, however. McIlroy will have to go back to the drawing board to try and close out the respective seasons on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour strong. He has been off from his usual standards since that incredible win at the Masters this year.
