McIlroy Describes Feeling "Stuck in Neutral" at The Open and Outlines Plans for the Remainder of the Season

Rory McIlroy has turned his attention toward ending both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour campaigns on a high note after a lackluster showing at the 154th Open Championship left him feeling "stuck in neutral" for much of the week. The Northern Irish star entered Royal Birkdale as one of the clear favorites to capture his second major of the calendar year and his first Open title since 2014, especially after successfully defending his Masters crown in April. Yet the tournament never truly clicked for him, and he faded well outside the leaders as the final round unfolded. McIlroy’s opening round was a modest 72, but he responded with a brilliant 67 on Friday and a solid 69 on Saturday, which vaulted him into contention and left him eight strokes behind the leader, Sam Burns, heading into Sunday.

Unfortunately, the momentum he had built evaporated on the final day when he posted a one‑over‑par 71, slipping further down the leaderboard and ending the event far from the top‑10. Reflecting on the experience, McIlroy said, "I was sort of stuck in neutral for most of the week. I shot a good one on Friday to get myself in for the weekend and back in it, but even par over the weekend is not going to get it done. I just felt like any time I got a little bit of momentum out there, I seemed to make a bogey.

It was just one of those weeks I couldn't get it going." His candid assessment underscored a frustration that many fans and analysts felt as the champion struggled to string together the consistency required at a major. Since his historic back‑to‑back victories at Augusta in 2023—a feat not achieved since Tiger Woods—McIlroy’s form has been a mixed bag. In his six worldwide starts after that triumph, the best finish he has managed is a tie for seventh, a result he recorded at the PGA Championship. He also missed the cut at the U.S.

Open, further highlighting the challenges he has faced in maintaining the high level that produced his recent major successes. Looking ahead, McIlroy plans to compete in the FedExCup Playoffs before shifting his focus to the European circuit, where he has back‑to‑back events on his schedule: the Amgen Irish Open followed by the BMW PGA Championship in September. He remains optimistic about his standing in both tours, noting that as long as he stays within the top 30 of the FedExCup points list heading into the Tour Championship, he will remain in contention for the season‑ending title.

Likewise, he believes he is positioned well enough in the Race to Dubai to vie for the DP World Tour’s premier accolade. When asked about the similarity between this season and the previous one, McIlroy replied, "The season feels very similar to last season. Obviously I won the first major of the year and fell off a little bit after that.

Any time you win a major in a year, you have to be pleased about that. I haven't really taken the time to enjoy that or celebrate that win. My daughter Poppy has another four weeks off school, so I'm just going to enjoy the summer holidays with her and Erica. That's what I'm looking forward to the most.

Then I'll get back to playing and I'm still in a decent position, I guess, in both title races. As long as I'm in the top 30 going into the Tour Championship and I'm in a decent spot still in the Race to Dubai, I'll try to play hard until the end of the season and then try to win one or both of those titles." His remarks reveal a desire to balance family time with the relentless demands of professional golf.

One logistical concern for McIlroy is that he will fall short of the PGA Tour’s 15‑event minimum for the 2026 season, having logged only 11 starts to date. He acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding any potential penalties, saying, "There have been years where I've given it maybe more of my attention to the PGA Tour and years that I haven't. I guess I'm just at a stage that I have other things that I prioritize. The PGA Tour is in a lot of flux at the minute with a lot of their schedule and structure and everything like that.

It doesn't matter where you are in the top 30 going into the Tour Championship. I just need to be in the top 30 going in there to have a chance to win a FedExCup, so why would I care about the first two? I came to that decision last year, and I'm just doing the same thing." The next PGA Tour event on his calendar is the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, which kicks off on Thursday.

Early coverage will be available on Sky Sports+, with a later broadcast on Sky Sports Golf. The 3M Open forms part of a triple‑header of live golf on Sky Sports, alongside the ISPS Handa Senior Open and the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open. The women's major season will conclude with the AIG Women’s Open from July 30 to August 2, also streamed on Sky Sports Golf.

In summary, while the Open at Royal Birkdale did not produce the results McIlroy hoped for, he remains focused on leveraging his remaining opportunities to finish both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour seasons strongly. By staying within the top‑30 thresholds for the FedExCup and Race to Dubai, he aims to keep his championship aspirations alive, all while cherishing precious time with his family during the summer break.