Rory McIlroy rode the struggle bus Friday at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley for the second round of the RBC Canadian Open.
Throughout McIlroy’s illustrious career, the worst 36-hole finish on the PGA Tour career was tied for 142nd, according to Underdog Golf With.
On Thursday, he shot a 1-over 71, but things fell apart for him on Day 2 of the tournament. McIlroy was 9-over through 14 holes before anything went his way.
He completed the round with an 8-over 78 to finish the tournament at 149th.
McIlroy recorded one quadruple bogey, a double bogey, eight bogeys and five birdies on the week.
“You don’t want to shoot high scores like the one I did today,” McIlroy said after his round on Friday. “I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn’t.”
“Going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. When I get that part of the game clicking, everything falls into place for me. Right now, that isn’t.”
The Northern Irishman opened his day with four straight pars before he made a quadruple bogey at the par-4 5th.
He hit his tee shot 316 yards into the right native area off the tee, then sailed the green on his second shot into the woods left of the green. McIlroy took a drop and hit it off the front of the green, leaving himself 56 yards to the hole.
On his sixth shot, the ball landed almost eight feet from the hole, and McIlroy proceeded to two-putt from there.
It was a disastrous hole for him, resulting in a very unlikely snowman on the card.
CALEDON, ONTARIO – JUNE 06: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland waits to putt on the tenth green during the second round of the RBC Canadian Open 2025 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June…
CALEDON, ONTARIO – JUNE 06: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland waits to putt on the tenth green during the second round of the RBC Canadian Open 2025 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 06, 2025 in Caledon, Ontario.
More
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
The round did not get better for him.
He made bogey at the par-4 8th, and with a par at 9, he turned in 40 strokes.
The 5-time major winner added another bogey and a double-bogey at 10 and 11 to put him at 8-over on the day.
McIlroy dropped another shot at the par-4 13th to drop to 9-over on the day and 10-over on the tournament.
His first birdie came at the par-4 15th, and the 36-year-old desperately needed it for morale sake. But this tweet summed that up rather well.
The Northern Irishman lost shots in all main strokes gained categories, which is entirely unheard of for him.
His driver struggles continued, as he lost -2.189 strokes off the tee through 36 holes. McIlroy hit only 13 fairways and 18 greens all week.
He lost -4.537 in strokes gained approach to the green, his worst statistical area of the tournament.
McIlroy lost -1.793 around the green and -2.208 on the greens. Overall, he lost -10.756 in strokes gained total.
This performance is highly abnormal for the No. 2 ranked player in the world. Guys like McIlroy usually find ways to bounce back, but it was not his week in Canada.
It will mark the first time he missed the cut in 10 events this season. His worst finish before this one was a T47 at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship.
McIlroy’s game has not been the same since his driver was deemed nonconforming at the second major.
“I went back to a 44-inch driver this week to try to get something that was a little
more in control and could try to get something a bit more in play, he explained. “But if I’m going to miss fairways, I’d rather have the ball speed and miss the fairway than not.”
It seems that the reigning Masters winner is still adjusting to a new big stick and will likely consider another option.
“I was saying to Harry [Diamond], going down the last, this is the second time this year I’ve tried the new version, and it hasn’t quite worked out for me. So I’d say I’ll be testing quite a few drivers over the weekend.”
He continues to fight his swing, which makes next week at Oakmont for the U.S. Open seem daunting.
Maybe this disgusting performance will light a fire in him ahead of the third major. After seeming to be the guy to beat after he won the career grand slam at the Masters, things have fallen off a cliff for McIlroy.
More Golf: ‘The Tiger Woods of my Life:’ Luke Clanton Overwhelmed at Canadian Open
