The Open: Rory McIlroy 'stuck in neutral' and switches focus to FedExCup and Race to Dubai after disappointing major week
Rory McIlroy failed to contend in The Open at Royal Birkdale, ending the week on one under; The Masters champion eyes FedExCup and Race to Dubai glory in 2026 and revealed his plans for the remainder of the season
Sunday 19 July 2026 17:30, UK
Rory McIlroy has set his sights on a strong finish to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour seasons after being ‘stuck in neutral’ during a disappointing week at The 154th Open.
McIlroy was among the favourites to challenge for a second major of the year and first win at The Open since 2014, having already defended his title at The Masters in April, although was never in contention during a frustrating display at Royal Birkdale.
The world No 2 rallied from an opening-round 72 to post scores of 67 and 69 to head into the final day eight strokes behind leader Sam Burns, with McIlroy falling further down the leaderboard with a one-over 71 on Sunday.
- The Open: Final leaderboard from Royal Birkdale
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- Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract
"I was sort of stuck in neutral for most of the week," McIlroy admitted. "Obviously shot a good one on Friday to get myself in for the weekend and back in it, but even par over the weekend is not going to get it done.
"I just felt like any time I got a little bit of momentum out there, I seemed to make a bogey. Just one of those weeks I couldn't get it going."
McIlroy has finished no higher than tied-seventh in his six worldwide starts since becoming the first back-to-back winner at Augusta National since Tiger Woods, ending in that position at the PGA Championship and failing to contend at the US Open.
McIlroy will now return to action in the FedExCup Play-Offs before switching his focus to the DP World Tour, with back-to-back appearances at the Amgen Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship in September.
"The season feels very similar to last season," McIlroy admitted. "Obviously won the first major of the year and fell off a little bit after that. Any time you win a major in a year, you have to be pleased about that.
"I haven't really took the time to enjoy that or celebrate that [major win]. Poppy [daughter] has got another four weeks off school until she goes back, so just going to enjoy the summer holidays with her and Erica. That's what I'm looking forward to the most.
"Then I'll get back to playing and I'm still in a decent position, I guess, in both title races. As long as I'm in the top 30 going into the Tour Championship and then I'm in a decent spot still in the Race to Dubai.
"I'll try to play hard until the end of the season and then try to win one or both of those titles."
McIlroy will fall short of the PGA Tour's 15-event minimum for the 2026 season, having made just 11 starts so far, with the 37-year-old unsure of what the repercussions will be for not fulfilling his requirement.
"There's been years where I've given it maybe more of my attention [to the PGA Tour] and years that I haven't," McIlroy explained. "I guess I'm just at a stage that I have other things that I prioritise.
"The PGA Tour is in a lot of flux at the minute with a lot of their schedule and structure and everything like that. It doesn't matter where you are in the top 30 going into the Tour Championship.
"I just need to be in the top 30 going in there to have a chance to win a FedExCup, so why would I care about the first two? I came to that decision last year, and I'm just doing the same thing."
What's next?
The next PGA Tour event is the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, beginning Thursday, with early coverage on Sky Sports+ before switching to Sky Sports Golf at 7pm.
The 3M Open is part of a triple-header of live golf on Sky Sports, with the ISPS Handa Senior Open and ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open also live. The women's major season then concludes with the AIG Women's Open from July 30-August 2, also live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
