Scottish Open: Rory McIlroy’s putter disappoints, yet ready The Open

Rory McIlroy struggled on the greens throughout the entirety of the Genesis Scottish Open, but still managed to tie for fourth. He finished four back of Robert MacIntyre, the Scotsman he bested in this event last year, even though his putter let him down for most of the week.

Like McIlroy a year ago, MacIntyre birdied the 18th hole to win by one.

But the Northern Irishman could not muster a Sunday charge this time around, mainly because he could not garner any momentum with his flat stick. He ranked 63rd among the 74 players who made the cut in strokes gained putting, losing 1.493 strokes to the field. He gave himself plenty of opportunities, playing masterfully from tee to green again, but he could not get putts to drop when needed.

“I had a lot of chances that I wasn’t able to convert, and that was sort of the story of the week. It felt like the ball-striking was there pretty much every day,” McIlroy said after his 2-under 68 on Sunday.

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“Overall, it was a good week to see where my game is heading into next week, especially after three weeks off. Pleased with the week with one eye on trying to defend here but obviously with an eye on trying to prepare for Troon as well.”

Royal Troon will welcome the world’s best players for The Open Championship next week, which will mark the final major of the year. Of course, McIlroy has not won a major title since 2014, when he won the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He has come agonizingly close multiple times since then, with no defeat more demoralizing than last month’s close call at Pinehurst No. 2.

But McIlroy has said that he has put that experience behind him. His focus now is on The Open after what he called a “solid” week at The Renaissance Club.

“I felt like I left a lot of shots out there over the course of four days, but on the back of three weeks off, I guess to be expected. I like to play the week before the majors to knock a bit of rust off and try to get sharp, and I feel like I’ve done that this week,” McIlroy said.

“Felt like I was on the fringes of contention most of the week but still had a solid week where I feel like my ball-striking is in a good spot and getting adjusted to shots I need around the greens, and then obviously the green speeds I’ve struggled with the last couple days. I tried to get a handle on that as well.”

Perhaps he can get a better handle of the greens at Royal Troon, the seaside course that last held The Open in 2016, when Henrik Stenson captured his first major title after an epic Sunday duel with Phil Mickelson.

McIlroy tied for fifth that week.

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“I remember it pretty well. I think just getting a good strategy on what I’m going to do off the tees, and then it’s in and around the greens. It’s the shots that you need around the greens. You know, the bunkers at Troon are very penal—I need to try to employ a strategy where you can navigate your way around them,” McIlroy said of Royal Troon.

“If I can get the putter to cooperate and get the speed of the greens down, more so than hitting my lines, I feel like I’m hitting my lines but more so getting the speed of the greens, I feel like I’ll be in a really good spot.”

Indeed, his putter cooperating is a massive if. It has shown up in big moments, like it did over the first 14 holes during this year’s U.S. Open, but it has also folded under pressure.

At any rate, links-style greens and Open Championship layouts are typically more manageable than the speedy greens often seen at U.S. Opens. But it all comes down to how McIlroy feels on them. If he is rolling it with confidence, he can win anywhere, on any course, against anyone. But if the opposite rears its ugly head again, McIlroy will again be left to ask the dreaded question, “What if?”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.