Rory McIlroy seemed poised to win his second Open Championship on Sunday, but he fell just shy as both Cameron Smith and Cameron Young surged past him on the final day of the tournament at St. Andrews' Old Course. Smith wound up winning The Open at 20-under, while Young finished 19-under. McIlroy shot a 2-under 70 to finish at 18-under.
McIlroy didn't play poorly and had his chances to card a much lower score, but he just wasn't able to sink enough key putts. Afterward, the star from Northern Ireland was almost at a loss for words before discussing his heartbreaking defeat:
All class from @McIlroyRory after a disappointing finish @TheOpen. pic.twitter.com/BtV3obKE1E
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2022
Rory will be back. pic.twitter.com/gTVBDvrjnD
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2022
This truly was a heartbreaker for Rory McIlroy. As mentioned, he consistently put himself in position to make birdies. He just wasn't able to do it:
As far back as the stats go, Rory McIlroy is the only player to hold the 54-hole lead at a major, hit every green in regulation in the final round and not win.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) July 17, 2022
Meanwhile, Smith and Young were brilliant. Smith used a ridiculous back-nine 30 (he made five birdies in a row at one point) to finish with a 64 to beat Young by one stroke. Young actually eagled 18 to leapfrog past McIlroy to momentarily tie Smith at the top of the leaderboard, but Smith birdied 18 to get his win.
Rory McIlroy will now have to regroup after this tough outcome, which extends his major drought. He hasn't won a major since 2014, when he won both The Open and the PGA Championship. During this span, he has 17 top-10 major finishes, which is the most of any player.
McIlroy and Viktor Hovland entered play Sunday tied for the lead and with a nice cushion, including a four-stroke lead over Smith. Unfortunately for McIlroy, that wasn't enough to win. This was the last major of the year, so he won't get another opportunity to end his drought until 2023.
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