Rory McIlroy Expresses Concern Over His Disappointing Eight-Over-Par Round, Lamenting About His Unsuccessful Attempt to Achieve High Scores Similar to His Performance from Today
Rory McIlroy's performance at the RBC Canadian Open was less than stellar, as he failed to make the cut and scored a dismal 8.471 strokes behind the field on Friday. The tournament was a nightmare on the tee for the five-time Major winner, as he struggled to find fairways and lost uncharacteristic shots off the tee.
As fairway-finding is crucial for success at Oakmont, the upcoming US Open course, McIlroy admitted that the poor driving performance is a cause for concern. In a bid to rectify the issue, he switched to a new driver before the tournament, but it failed to improve his game.
"Of course it's concerning. You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today," said McIlroy, admitting that he's still searching for the missing piece off the tee.
The day began well for McIlroy, who hit four straight pars to start the second round. However, things took a turn for the worse at the par 4 fifth, where he recorded an octuple bogey eight, putting him five-over for the tournament. Additional bogeys at the eighth, tenth, and eleventh, as well as a double bogey at the 11th, marked a disastrous round and tournament for the golfer.
Despite the disappointing results, McIlroy remains hopeful. "I still think there are learnings to take from a day like today," he said. "I need to do a lot of practice and a lot of work at home to get a better idea of where my game is going into next week."
As for the future, it's uncertain whether McIlroy will continue to use the TaylorMade Qi35 driver that was put in his bag pre-tournament or return to the Qi10 that helped him win The Masters. However, McIlroy did reveal that he had reverted to a 44-inch driver setup before the tournament and was planning to test several drivers in the lead-up to the US Open.
[1] Enrichment Data: In 2016, McIlroy was indeed preparing for the US Open but did not trial a new driver. The details about his driver at that time are not mentioned in the current search results.
[2] Enrichment Data: Regarding recent events, McIlroy's driver was one of several that failed a pre-tournament test for spring-like effect at the PGA Championship. However, the results were intended to remain confidential.
[3] Enrichment Data: McIlroy expressed frustration that his name was leaked, unlike other players whose drivers also failed, such as Scottie Scheffler. There is no mention of McIlroy planning to return to an old driver after the RBC Canadian Open.
"Rory McIlroy is contemplating a return to his previous driver setup ahead of the US Open, in light of his poor driving performance at the RBC Canadian Open which he attributes to his current driver."
"The golfer, still hopeful for improvement, expressed his intention to test several drivers before the US Open, as he seeks to rectify his struggles off the tee."
