Rory McIlroy ‘in top three’ to win The Open as Tiger Woods gets emotional

Rory McIlroy will be a man on a Major mission at The Open this week – according to his practice partner Shane Lowry. The world No 2 is seeking to end a barren run stretching back nine long years in golf’s biggest events after another agonising near-miss at last month’s US Open.

But Lowry believes the stars are aligning for McIlroy as he prepares to return to the scene of his 2014 Open Championship win at Royal Liverpool in top form after his Scottish Open triumph last weekend. “Rory is obviously playing well,” said Lowry, the 2019 Open champion.

“He has been consistently one of the best players in the world for 12 or 14 years. Since he won here in 2014, he’s done everything in the game there is to do twice. Apart from winning a Major. He’s come so close. I was sure he was going to win the US Open.

“I was happy to hear he didn’t take it too hard and he was happy with the way he played and what he did. He’s probably up there in the top two or three people to beat this week. People like me would have our eyes on those guys and think if we can finish ahead of those guys, then we will do alright.”

McIlroy, who remains stuck on four Major wins, will be playing in the same group as Jon Rahm and Justin Rose when The Open gets underway. “Rory’s obviously a tremendously talented player and he’s put himself in position and it hasn’t happened yet,” said Rahm.

“Undoubtedly he wants it. He wants to get to five. Not many players have got to five. He still has a lot of years to play ahead of him. I’m hoping he does it. I’m pretty sure he will get that number five at some point.”

Tiger Woods on Tuesday night opened up the most emotional win of his career at Hoylake 17 years ago. Woods, who is missing from The Open field having undergone ankle surgery in April, was honoured in his absence for outstanding services to golf at the Association of Golf Writers’ annual dinner.

In a recorded video message from his Florida home he reflected on his tearful triumph which saw him sobbing in the arms of caddie Steve Williams two months after the death of his father. “That week in 2006 was a very emotional one. It was the first championship I ever won without my dad being there. It was a tough, tough week, but also probably the most gratifying that I have ever experienced over there,” said Woods.

“After my last putt I realised that my dad was never going to see this again.” It was the last of Woods’s three Claret Jugs in 22 Open appearances which brought many highs but some lows too including his 81 in impossible third-round conditions at Muirfield.

“Some days were tough. I particularly remember the Saturday in 2002 at Muirfield. That was the worst day I have ever known and probably the worst in the history of golf. I have never felt that cold, I have never felt that wet and I have never felt that miserable,” he said. “I remember a couple of my friends among the writers from the UK offering me cups of coffee when I walked in to speak. That was great.”