
Masters champion Rory McIlroy delivers his verdict after he failed to catch Scottie Scheffler during the final round of The Open at Royal Portrush.
Rory McIlroy says all he can do is tip his cap to Scottie Scheffler after the American underlined his status as the world number one with a dominant Open victory at Royal Portrush.
Scheffler began the fourth round of the final men’s major of the year in Northern Ireland with a four-shot lead over China’s Haotong Li.
There had been fanciful hopes Masters champion McIlroy could chase down Scheffler in front of a raucous home crowd despite being six strokes back.
This week has been widely viewed as a lap of honour for the 36-year-old following his career-defining victory at Augusta National in April.
Across four days of this 153rd Open, McIlroy thrilled and frustrated thousands of his home fans in equal measure but ultimately ended up sharing fifth place with Robert MacIntyre and Xander Schauffele.
Any hopes of McIlroy lifting the Claret Jug were sunk after he made a disastrous double bogey out of nowhere on the 10th hole.
McIlroy made amends for the error with birdies at the 12th and 15th but by that point he had run out of holes.
He looked visibly emotional as he received a stunning ovation as he marched up the 72nd hole alongside his European Ryder Cup teammate Matthew Fitzpatrick.
“I tried as best as I could to keep my emotions in check, especially walking up the last there and that reception,” McIlroy said.
“It’s honestly been an incredible week,” McIlroy said. “I’ve gotten just about everything I could’ve hoped for out of it—except for the Claret Jug. And that’s only because someone else played just a little bit better than the rest of us.”
“I’m truly grateful. Getting to do what I love in front of a crowd like this—it’s a privilege. I feel really lucky. Hopefully, I’ll have a couple more Open Championships here, if the R&A keeps bringing it back. Maybe one where I’m still competing at the top, and another when I’m a bit grayer than I already am,” he added with a smile.
“Just to come back, to be in contention, to feel like I had a real shot—it’s been a fantastic experience.”

McIlroy also had high praise for Scheffler.
“Historically speaking, you could say only two or three players in the game’s history have had the kind of run Scottie’s been on over the past two or three years. It’s unbelievably impressive.”
“He deserves this win. Not just because of how he plays, but also because of who he is. He’s a great guy, a class act, and honestly, a great ambassador for the sport. I’m genuinely happy for him, for Meredith, and for his whole family.”
When asked how it feels to watch Scheffler dominate the game, McIlroy responded:
“It’s admiration, really. You can’t help but respect what he’s doing—and how he’s doing it. He doesn’t seek the spotlight, doesn’t show off. He just gets the job done better than anyone right now.”
“If he stays healthy, he’s got a real shot at completing the career Grand Slam next year at the U.S. Open. He’s been phenomenal.”
Leave a Reply