Some might find it hard to feel sorry for Rory McIlroy, a man who’s amassed a fortune of $90m by playing the sport he loves. Equally, the brilliant Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie, who also made his hobby his career, and now has a net worth of about $50m, might struggle to have all that much sympathy for a man who has four major titles to his name. The Scot is probably the best player to have never landed one of golf’s big four events, though he came oh so close on a number of occasions.
In fact, for that very reason, Montgomerie might actually be one of the few people in the world who can truly, deeply understand what McIlroy is going through right now. Rory has (in)famously failed to win a major title since he appeared to have the golfing world at his feet back in 2014.
Back then – what seems like a lifetime ago but is actually a decade – the Northern Irishman won the final two majors of the year. He was a young buck of 25 and already had four major titles to his name and just needed to add the Masters to claim a career Grand Slam. Nobody could have predicted that he would still have “just” the four majors to his name in 2024.
Photo credit: David Unger, flickr
No Stranger to Near Misses
The Holywood native has not lost his form, certainly not dramatically, in the 10 years since his last major win. He first became the world’s top-ranked golfer in March 2012, and had his fifth stint at the summit of the rankings when number one for 54 weeks from August 2014 until August 2015. However, since then, he has reached top spot a further four times, most recently for a 16-week stint from October 2022 onwards.
Right now he is third in the official world rankings and has not been any lower than that for a few years. For much of the last 10 decades he has been brilliant but has fallen agonisingly short in the biggest events. Since his last major victory he has gone close to claiming win number five several times, boasting 21 top 10s from 2015 onwards, with 10 of those being top 5s (both including ties).
In 2022 he was eighth in the US PGA Championship and finished in the top five at the other three majors. A year later he was runner-up at the US Open, the event where he won his first major back in 2011, and also seventh at the PGA and sixth at the Open.
Pipped at Pinehurst
If those near misses were painful for the Northern Irish ace, 2024 has been, at times, truly torturous for him. The year began well as he had great results in the UAE, as he often has in the past. Second in the Dubai Invitational, he then won the Dubai Desert Classic and solid results through the first half of the year kept him in second place in the world rankings.
In America that included finishing third in the Texas Open and then a fine win at the prestigious Wells Fargo Championship. He won the lion’s share of the massive $20m purse back in May when a magnificent final round of six under par saw him win by five shots. It gave him a real boost heading into the main body of majors season but he only managed 12th at the US PGA.
Better results followed and he went into the US Open on the 13th of June among the favourites and full of confidence. He opened with a 65 to top the leaderboard after 18 holes, before solid rounds of 72 and 69 saw him head into the final round in a tie for second, just three shots adrift of Bryson DeChambeau.
It would be unfair to say that he collapsed on Sunday because he shot a 69 and that was better than most of the players around him on the leaderboard. However, the way things played out on that fateful Sunday provided McIlroy with the most harrowing of the many near misses he has endured since last tasting major glory.
A brilliant start to the back name, when he birdied 9, 10, 12 and 13, put him in the lead and finally fans believed he was going to end his major drought. However, he would bogey 15, 16 and 18, missing a two-foot putt on 16 and a three-footer on 18. DeChambeau was in a bunker on 18 but got up and down to save par from about 50 yards and pip Rory to the title by a shot.
Pain Keeps on Coming
Hurt by the manner of this defeat, he rightly had a few weeks off and returned at the Scottish Open on good style, finishing tied fourth to set himself up for a tilt at the Open. He then missed the cut. The Olympics came next and once again McIlroy was in contention on Sunday but a few mistakes saw him finish fifth.
He was decidedly average throughout the season-ending FedEx Cup series but next came the Irish Open on the DP World Tour. McIlroy had a mixed record in the event but had a win under his belt in his home championship in 2016. The 2024 tournament took place in mid-September and rounds of 68-70-69 put him in a great position. Indeed, he was in control for much of the tournament and even the final day, leading by four at one stage on Sunday.
But then once again something happened, and he dropped shots at 15 and 17. To his credit he made birdies at 16 and 8 but elsewhere Dane Rasmus Hojgaard was doing something special. He chipped in on 10 for a birdie, repeating the feat from a bunker on 17. In all he made six birdies on his back nine, including on each of the last three holes. His closing round of 65 meant that once more, McIlroy had lost by a single shot and once again he had appeared to have victory within reach.
Like London Busses
Rory’s sore run did not stop there either, as last time out he lost in a play-off at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The world number three has just bought a house on the estate but he might not want to move in now! He was so consistent, with brilliant rounds of 67, 68, 66 and then 67 leaving him at 20 under par.
BMW PGA Championship Leaderboard in 2024
| Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 67 | 68 | 66 | 67 | 268 |
| Billy Horschel | 67 | 69 | 65 | 67 | 268 |
| Thriston Lawrence | 68 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 268 |
On another week that might have been more than enough to claim a win in the DP World Tour’s flagship event. However, when luck is against you, luck is against you, and he finished in a play-off alongside two others.
Thriston Lawrence made a bogey on the first extra hole, leaving McIlroy to slug it out with American golfer Billy Horschel. However, Horschel delivered the knockout blow with an eagle at the next to claim victory and leave Rory dazed and confused on the canvas. We are sure that he can pick himself up after another agonising defeat but surely his fortune will change soon.
BMW PGA Championship Playoff in 2024
| Player | Hole 1 | Hole 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Horschel | Birdie | Eagle |
| Rory McIlroy | Birdie | Birdie |
| Thriston Lawrence | Bogey | – |