McIlroy and Woods Add Flair to The Open Championship 2024
Rory McIlroy, who suffered a heartbreaking defeat at Pinehurst in the US Open, is motivated to win the 152nd Open Championship. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, is aiming for a record-breaking 16th major victory.
After Tiger Woods’ US Open defeat at Pinehurst, Rory McIlroy went through the five stages of sorrow, and one unsuspecting bystander was the recipient of a well-thought-out message from the Northern Irishman to his business partner.
McIlroy gave up his usual number two days after that memorable Sunday, when he lost to Bryson DeChambeau by one after missing short putts on the 16th and 18th holes. When Woods ultimately sent the message, it never reached McIlroy because he thought it would be best to give him a few days to heal.
Now, McIlroy will be eager to demonstrate, both literally and symbolically, that the majority of the field at this week’s 152nd Open Championship does not have his number.
Since the 2014 PGA Championship, the Open winner and current No. 2 in the world has not won a significant tournament. Royal Troon won’t be an exception to the rule that he is always the most marked man in the field when he tees up, though. McIlroy was so devastated by the US Open debacle that he believed he would require a month or more off from golf.
But the recovery happened faster than he had anticipated, involving, among other things, long walks on the Chelsea High Line in an attempt to become lost in the throng of Manhattan aside from discarding his old SIM.
When asked how long it would take him to go through the mourning process’ acceptance stage, McIlroy responded, “It (getting a new phone number) wasn’t out of grief, but okay…”
“Perhaps three or four days later, I would say. From feeling incredibly disappointed and discouraged, you tried to concentrate on the positives, wanted to learn from the bad things, and eventually reached a place where you were excited and encouraged to go again.”
It’s funny how, four days later, your attitude can change from, “I don’t want to see a golf course for a month,” to, “I can’t wait to get another shot at it.” It’s time to go again when that disappointment becomes inspiration.
Last week, McIlroy returned to competition at the Scottish Open, where he valiantly defended his title until ending tied for 14th place with a score of 14 under par.
Before returning to one of the most difficult links courses on the Open schedule, McIlroy stated, “The game is in really good shape, and I felt like I played okay last week after shaking off a little bit of rust.” It’s possible that I may have increased my chances of winning the competition.
It seemed like a good week to me. Once more, it’s like trying to qualify for the tournament while also keeping one eye on getting ready for this week. Scottish great Colin Montgomerie had recently suggested an early retirement, but Woods smacked that idea down, saying he felt he was headed in the right path.
“I’ve improved my training significantly. After making the cut at the US Open and the PGA Championship earlier this year, Woods stated, “We’ve been working out pretty hard in the gym, and the body feels better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better.”
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“I’m not able to spend as much time outside during a practice as I would want, but it’s still wonderful because I get to do some things that I haven’t done all year. “Until the age of sixty, I am exempt as a former champion. Colin is not immune since he has never been a champion. He is thereby deprived of the chance to decide. Yes, I do.
In addition, Woods believed that links golf, with its distinct features of firm fairways and greens that often favor older and more seasoned players, increased his prospects of winning a 16th major championship.
The ability to carry the golf ball decreases with age. However, if you get the proper wind and direction over here, you can run the golf ball 100 yards,” said Woods.
It partially offsets the high launch circumstances that are common on today’s Tours and that you see most of the time. Because they are no longer required to run the ball 320 yards, that is one of the reasons previous winners are visible on the scoreboard.
Tyrrell Hatton and Max Homa have been teamed with McIlroy, and they will begin their campaign on Thursday at 1009 local time (1439 IST). At 1437 local time (1907 IST), Woods takes the field alongside Brooks Koepka and Xander Schaufelle. Shubhankar Sharma of India will begin play at 12:44 IST.
