What Rory McIlroy has done twice already in practice is extremely concerning ahead of The Open

Rory McIlroy will be hopeful of winning The Open Championship for the second time this week.

There is nothing that McIlroy will want more than winning The Open in front of his home fans.

I dare say that moment, if it happens, could even eclipse him achieving his lifelong Grand Slam dream.

Earlier this week, McIlroy admitted that winning The Open was his main priority this season.

So it’s clearly very important for him to do well in his homeland this week.

However, there is a train of thought that perhaps the pressure on McIlroy’s shoulders at Royal Portrush is simply too intense for him to perform well.

McIlroy has been honest about his lack of motivation after winning The Masters, but he does seem to be back in the groove now he is back in Britain.

That said, it could be argued that despite last week’s second place finish in Scotland, the Northern Irishman is nowhere near his best right now.

What Rory McIlroy has done in practice is concerning ahead of The Open

McIlroy has been working extremely hard at Portrush this week.

Photo by Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

However, he still seems to have one shot in his bag that could prove to be incredibly costly for him throughout the tournament.

McIlroy’s putting coach Brad Faxon made a hugely concerning admission about McIlroy when speaking on the golf Channel’s Live From The Open.

He said: “He hasn’t hit that fairway in his first two practice rounds. He hit both tee shots out-of-bounds on Monday and Tuesday.“

We all know how much McIlroy has struggled on the first hole at Royal Portrush in the past.

He hit his tee shot out of bounds on the first in the opening round of the Open in 2019.

The 36-year-old went on to make an eight and shoot a round of eight-over par 79 on day one, before missing the cut on Friday.

Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour driving stats in 2025

McIlroy is widely regarded as the best driver of the ball in the game.

However, there are some issues he has with the big stick in his hand.

It’s clear to see from those stats that McIlroy has a big issue with his accuracy off the tee.

However, he is so long that he usually gets away with it. That won’t be the case at Portrush this week.

McIlroy needs to drive the ball well to contend at The Open.

And not hitting his ball out of bounds on the first hole would be a good place to start.