After Scottish Open heartbreak, Rory McIlroy puts early start to his Open Championship prep

Rory McIlroy narrowly missed out on claiming his 30th PGA Tour title at the Genesis Scottish Open, finishing two shots behind Chris Gotterup, who won at 15-under. McIlroy’s T2 finish was still his best result since winning The Masters earlier this year, where he completed the career Grand Slam.

Now, the Northern Irishman heads straight into preparations for the final major of the year, The Open Championship, set to take place from July 17-20 at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. With his game in strong form, McIlroy has already arrived at the venue to begin his prep.

NBC and Golf Channel reporter Todd Lewis shared on X that Rory McIlroy reached his residence in Portrush around 1:00 am after travel delays from Scotland. Despite just 4.5 hours of sleep, he was out on the course by 7:00 am for a full 18-hole practice round to kick off his preparations for The Open.

Rory McIlroy, who won The Open Championship in 2014 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, is now seeking a second Claret Jug and his sixth career major. After his Masters triumph earlier this year, McIlroy admitted that he struggled to carry the same momentum into the next two majors but is now ready to reset for his home major.

“I've done something that I've told everyone that I wanted to do, but then it's like I still feel like I have a lot more to give,” McIlroy told Golfweek. “If I can’t get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don’t know what can motivate me.”

This will be Rory McIlroy’s 14th start of the 2025 season. So far, he has three wins, one runner-up, and seven top-10 finishes to his name. Here are his results so far in the 2025 season:

• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: 1 (-21)
• The Genesis Invitational: T17 (-3)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: T15 (-3)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: P1 (-12)
• Texas Children's Houston Open: T5 (-15)
• Masters Tournament: P1 (-11)
• Zurich Classic of New Orleans: T12 (-22)
• Truist Championship: T7 (-10)
• PGA Championship: T47 (+3)
• RBC Canadian Open: CUT (+9)
• U.S. Open: T19 (+7)
• Travelers Championship: T6 (-12)
• Genesis Scottish Open: T2 (-13)

How has Rory McIlroy performed in The Open Championship since his 2014 win?

Rory McIlroy won his first Open Championship in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, shooting rounds of 66, 66, 68, and 71 to finish at 17-under par. However, he hasn’t managed to replicate that success in the years since.

McIlroy has missed the tournament twice and failed to make the cut on two occasions. Here’s a look at his results in The Open since his 2014 victory:

• 2015: Did not play
• 2016: T5 (-4)
• 2017: T4 (-5)
• 2018: T2 (-6)
• 2019: CUT (+2)
• 2020: No tournament
• 2021: T46 (E)
• 2022: 3 (-18)
• 2023: T6 (-6)
• 2024: CUT (+11)

Edited by Tushar Bahl