Rory McIlroy wrapped up his week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship finishing a shocking 66th place, an abysmal 8-over for the tournament, marking his worst finish all season. It was brutal watching him out there, especially after he couldn’t even break par in a single round.
Memphis Meltdown: McIlroy’s Game Was Gone
Seriously, what even was that in Memphis? McIlroy opened the tournament with a 4-over 74, and the struggles kept piling up. He couldn’t find his rhythm, his swing looked off, and it got worse as the week wore on. We’re talking a double bogey on the first hole of the final round, then he went 5-over through the first six holes. It was tough to watch, man. The guy was almost dead last in both Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. He said his issues felt “overall,” and honestly, it showed. This was not the Rory we know, the one who won his second straight Masters back in April.
“Lost With My Golf Swing” Has Fans Worried
After a long break following his T40 finish at the British Open in mid-July, McIlroy admitted he “didn’t come in here with a ton of reps.” You could tell. He even said, “Almost felt like the more the week went on, the more I felt lost with my golf swing a little bit.” Oof. That’s a huge statement from a guy ranked No. 2 in the world coming into this. He talked about losing “awareness of the target” when working through swing issues, making “the golf swing more important than the golf shots sometimes,” and that’s “not a good thing either.” This isn’t some rookie, this is Rory. Hearing him say that tells you exactly how much he was fighting himself out there.
Glimmers of Hope Amidst the Grind
Yeah, it was rough, but you gotta look for the positives, right? Even after all that mess, McIlroy did flash some life on Sunday’s back nine. He snagged five birdies in an eight-hole stretch, finishing with a 2-over 72 for the day. He even said he “hit some better shots coming in for sure,” admitting there were still “a few loose ones as well,” but that “five birdies coming in… definitely there’s some signs of encouragement there.” It’s something, I guess, even if he still finished with back-to-back bogeys and a massive 25 shots behind Scottie Scheffler, who won by eight. McIlroy’s made the cut in all 12 starts this season and has four top-10 finishes, but this finish? It’s a wake-up call. He’s heading to the BMW Championship in St. Louis next week, and he knows he’s gotta put the “head down and grind from now until Thursday to try to feel like I have any sort of chance.” You better believe he’s going to work, because that showing in Memphis can’t happen again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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