McIlroy heads to Royal Portrush for the Open Championship knowing that his game is in fine fettle
20:33, 13 Jul 2025Updated 20:39, 13 Jul 2025
Rory McIlroy looks on as Wyndham Clark putts on the 18th green on day four of the Genesis Scottish Open 2025(Image: Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy narrowly missed out on a second Genesis Scottish Open title, finishing two strokes behind American Chris Gotterup on Sunday.
As he heads to Royal Portrush for the Open Championship, McIlroy can take confidence in his strong form.
But the Holywood man will be frustrated to have come up short in a final-round showdown with the relatively unknown Oklahoma golfer Gotterup.
McIlroy’s day started slowly as two opening pars were followed by a bogey on the par-five third hole.
But the Masters champion bounced back in great style, with pinpoint iron shots setting up birdies on the fourth and fifth holes.
Another birdie followed on the eighth hole, but the birdies then dried up for the Holywood man on the back nine.
The gap was only one when Gotterup bogeyed the 15th hole, though, and many expected the pressure to get to the world number 158.
But the American produced a great up and down down for a birdie to extend his lead to two shots on the par five 16th hole after McIlroy three-putted from long range.
Gotterup missed the green on the par-three 17th, but the 25-year-old made a gutsy par putt to give him a cushion going down the last.
And the American, who won for the first time on the PGA Tour last year, found a fairway and the green for a two putt par, securing the biggest win of his career and a first prize of $1,575,000.
McIlroy finished in a tie for second place with Englishman Marco Penge, with the pair both winning $788,175.
Speaking after his round, McIlroy said he found it hard on the back nine to hole the putts to reel in Gotterup.
“The conditions, you know, it was pretty windy. It has hard to get the ball super close. I gave myself plenty of chances coming down the stretch.
“The putter, not that I felt like I hit good putts but I feel like the greens deteriorated as the week went on and just got a little bumpy.
“I had some putts and some looks that felt like I hit good putts that just didn’t go in, whether they were mis-reads or poor speed here and there.
“But Chris played a great round of golf. He was so solid. Made the bogey on 15 but bounced back with a really nice birdie on 16. Yeah, after he got a couple ahead, I just couldn’t claw back.”
Now the five-time major champions travels home to Northern Ireland, where he will be the centre of attention at the 153rd Open Championship.
He added: “I’m really happy with where everything is. Looking forward to getting to Portrush tonight and getting out on to the golf course early tomorrow and just turning my attention to that.
“But I feel like I’ve gotten out of this week everything, really, that I wanted.”
