McIlroy fizzles out of Canadian Open with 2nd-round 78
Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Canadian Open and concluded his second round ranked tied for 149th on the leaderboard after an 8-over 78 on Friday.
It's his worst 36-hole finish since a T-142 at the 2021 Players and his first missed cut since last year's Open Championship.
"It's golf, it's one of those weeks," McIlroy said when asked to sum up his round, per TSN.
"I just wasn't on it. Which is funny, I had a really good warmup. I felt like I was going to shoot a good score out there today, and then it just wasn't meant to be."
McIlroy recorded a 71 in the opening round Thursday, his first appearance since the PGA Championship in May. He received plenty of attention at the season's second major for skipping media following each round after his driver was deemed non-conforming. McIlroy also drew headlines for not playing the Memorial last week, a signature event hosted by Jack Nicklaus.
The Northern Irishman's driver was a significant issue Friday, as he hit only four of 14 fairways and ranked 152nd with minus-2.726 strokes gained: off the tee. An errant drive on the fifth hole led McIlroy to a quadruple-bogey after he had to abandon a ball. He never recovered from the mistake and carded four bogeys and a double-bogey afterward.
No component of McIlroy's game clicked in Round 2, as he ranked 150th in total strokes gained at minus-8.945. He'll have to sharpen his game quickly with the famously difficult U.S. Open at Oakmont scheduled for next week.
"There's frustration, but I think, as well, it's been an informative two days in some way just to see where I'm at, where my misses are, what I need to work on," McIlroy said. "I've shot two very, very bad scores on not that much of a penal golf course, and then you're going to a very penal one next week.
"I just need to tidy a lot of things up all the way through the bag."
McIlroy is a two-time champion at the Canadian Open. He's earned three wins this season, including a completion of the career grand slam at the Masters in April.