Tough Scenes

British Open 2024: Rory McIlroy's brutal week can be summed up with this failed club toss off his face

By Alex Myers

July 20, 2024

STUART FRANKLIN

Rory McIlroy's week at Royal Troon was so rough that he admitted to thinking about where he was going to go on vacation next week just 22 holes into the event. Which is fitting, because there's also a clip of him that would be perfect for the next Southwest Airlines "Wanna get away?" commercial.

McIlroy's dreams of ending his decade-long drought in majors were pretty much dashed with a first-round 78 at the British Open. But even making the cut became a longshot when he triple bogeyed the par-5 fourth hole on Friday.

“Yeah, I think once I made the 8 on the fourth hole, that was it,” McIlroy said. “Twenty-two holes into the event and I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on vacation next week.”

But it got even worse. On top of not having control of his golf game, McIlroy tried to toss a club to himself at one point and failed. Miserably. Check it out as the butt of the club drills him right in the face.

Tough scene. Sorry, Rory, but, yeah, that's too good not to share.

It's not a matter of wanting to get away for the four-time major champ, it's just a question of where he's getting away. Hope you have a nice trip, Rory. Maybe just leave the clubs at home for a bit.

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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.