Rory McIlroy was near tears after missing the cut at the 2019 British Open on his home course at Royal Portrush. The Northern Irishman said he “just didn’t play my part,” though the crowd did as they rooted for the local golf hero.
McIlroy set the course record of 61 at Royal Portrush when he was 16-years-old, but started with a quadruple-bogey eight-over on the first hole in Thursday’s first round. He finished the first round with an eight-over 79. The 30-year-old shaved 14 strokes off of his first-round score to finish Friday’s round with a 65 by way of seven birdies and just one bogey. But the dramatic improvement wasn’t enough to keep him on the right side of the cut mark.
“Part of me is very disappointed not to be here for the weekend,” McIlroy told Sky TV after the end of the second round. “I’m emotional but happy with how I played.”
“It’s going to hurt for a bit. I’ve been looking forward to this week for a long time.”
McIlroy is one of several well-known golf greats who missed this weekend’s cut, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day.
