Officialsportsbetting.com Golf Betting Rory McIlroy’s dream dashed in St. Andrews heartbreak

Rory McIlroy’s dream dashed in St. Andrews heartbreak

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Rory McIlroy let himself dream. He couldn’t help it. The enormous yellow scoreboard that stood stories above St. Andrews’ final hole stared back at him whenever he looked out the window of his hotel room. He imagined his name in the black, block letters standing atop the list, the same image he surely thought about countless times as a kid. The dream came true a day early. His name occupied the top space Saturday night, after a 66 that put him into a tie for The Open’s lead with Viktor Hovland. McIlroy spoke that evening about his “cocoon,” the place where he could divorce his process from the pressure. But each time he peered out his hotel-room window, he allowed himself to imagine what could have been the most important victory of his career. “You’ve got to let yourself dream,” McIlroy said. “You’ve got to let yourself think about it and what it would be like, but once I was on the golf course it was just task at hand and trying to play the best golf I possibly could.” Only Hovland was McIlroy’s equal over the first 54 holes of The 150th Open. They both shot 16-under 200, including matching 66s in Saturday’s second-to-last group to earn Sunday’s last tee time. They were four clear of the players in third place, Cameron Smith and Cameron Young. McIlroy wasn’t the only one dreaming of him winning in the Home of Golf. A win by Great Britain’s great hope in the game’s spiritual center made too much sense. It had been 12 years since he last played an Open at the Old Course, and eight years since his last major win. The greatest player of his generation, and one of the greatest Europeans of all time, McIlroy had endured close calls in majors earlier this year, finishing in the top 10 in each of the first three. Then on Friday, as he was starting his second round, he crossed paths with Tiger Woods as Woods’ career at St. Andrews likely came to a close. Woods was touched by McIlroy tipping his cap in respect as they walked past each other. Woods’ last Open at St. Andrews, where he won twice, could have concluded with the first win at St. Andrews for the best player since Woods. McIlroy was trying to join Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Europe’s two best of the modern era, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros, by winning at the Old Course, a setting that carries extra significance. A win would have tied Ballesteros with five major triumphs and leave him one short of Faldo’s record for most majors by a European player since World War I. McIlroy is the player in today’s game who gives the most consideration to context. His legacy is his priority at this point in his career, and only a victory at Augusta National would do more for it. Like Jordan Spieth seven years earlier, the sentimental favorite didn’t win at St. Andrews, however. McIlroy was bogey-free Sunday but made just two birdies. His 70 left him in third place, two strokes behind winner Cameron Smith. Smith birdied the first five holes of the back nine and closed with 30 en route to a Sunday 64. TOUR rookie Cameron Young, who played with Smith in the second-to-last group, shot 65 to finish second. McIlroy led most of the day but fell behind after Smith birdied 14. McIlroy could only muster pars on the final holes, however. “I knew that I needed to respond,” McIlroy said. “I just couldn’t find the shots or the putts to do that.” It was a day that was relatively stress-free. He drove it well and didn’t make a bogey, but also couldn’t hit his approach shots close enough or take advantage of the Old Course’s drivable par-4s. This the first time in his career that McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in all four majors. He’s third in the world ranking and fifth in the FedExCup with two wins this season. He spoke this week about the trust he has in his game, and the freedom it has produced. He reunited with longtime swing coach Michael Bannon and won last month’s RBC Canadian Open while his caddie, Harry Diamond, was home with his wife and newborn child. It required him to make more decisions on the course and rely less on his longtime looper. “I’m in more control of my swing and my game,” he said. He left last month’s U.S Open saying he was “closer than I’ve been in a while.” But on Sunday, McIlroy struggled to trust his reads on St. Andrews’ slow greens and watched several birdie putts slide by the hole. While Smith was in the midst of his birdie streak, McIlroy couldn’t capitalize on two of St. Andrews’ drivable par-4s, Nos. 9 and 12, and parred the par-5 14th when a birdie would have pulled him even with Smith. McIlroy missed long birdie putts on 15 and 16, as well, and a 20-footer on the difficult 17th after Smith had two-putted from behind the Road Bunker. Smith’s birdie on the final hole meant McIlroy needed to make eagle on 18. It was over when his second shot ran past the hole. “There were a lot of putts today where I couldn’t just trust myself to start it inside the hole,” he said. “I was always starting it on the edge or just outside thinking it was going to move. More times than not, they just sort of stayed there.” McIlroy focused on the positives in his post-round press conference and tried to place the result in its proper perspective – “It’s not life or death,” he said – but the scene after he stepped away from the microphone painted a fuller picture. A golf cart waited to whisk McIlroy to the locker room. He sat down next to his wife, Erica, and rested his head face-down on her shoulder. He had no more energy to expend. The fight was over. The Old Course is a romantic setting for those with a deep connection to the game. A round on the historic grounds elicits a variety of emotions. Including heartbreak.

Click here to read the full article

Looking for profitable slots? Check wich slots have the best RTP at slotocash casino.

KLM Open
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Joakim Lagergren+375
Ricardo Gouveia+650
Connor Syme+850
Francesco Laporta+1200
Andy Sullivan+1400
Richie Ramsay+1400
Oliver Lindell+1600
Jorge Campillo+2500
Jayden Schaper+2800
David Ravetto+3500
Click here for more...
Cameron Champ
Type: Cameron Champ - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-120
Top 10 Finish-275
Top 20 Finish-750
Nick Taylor
Type: Nick Taylor - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+135
Top 10 Finish-175
Top 20 Finish-500
Shane Lowry
Type: Shane Lowry - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+140
Top 10 Finish-175
Top 20 Finish-500
Thorbjorn Olesen
Type: Thorbjorn Olesen - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-115
Top 10 Finish-250
Top 20 Finish-625
Andrew Putnam
Type: Andrew Putnam - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+140
Top 10 Finish-165
Top 20 Finish-500
Sam Burns
Type: Sam Burns - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+150
Top 10 Finish-155
Top 20 Finish-455
Taylor Pendrith
Type: Taylor Pendrith - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+250
Top 10 Finish+105
Top 20 Finish-275
Ryan Fox
Type: Ryan Fox - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+250
Top 10 Finish+110
Top 20 Finish-275
Jake Knapp
Type: Jake Knapp - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+260
Top 10 Finish+115
Top 20 Finish-250
Rasmus Hojgaard
Type: Rasmus Hojgaard - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+400
Top 10 Finish+175
Top 20 Finish-165
ShopRite LPGA Classic
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Akie Iwai+650
Ayaka Furue+650
Rio Takeda+850
Elizabeth Szokol+900
Jeeno Thitikul+900
Mao Saigo+1200
Chisato Iwai+1800
Ashleigh Buhai+2200
Miyu Yamashita+2200
Wei Ling Hsu+2800
Click here for more...
American Family Insurance Championship
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Bjorn/Clarke+275
Green/Hensby+750
Cejka/Kjeldsen+1000
Jaidee/Jones+1400
Bransdon/Percy+1600
Cabrera/Gonzalez+1600
Els/Herron+1600
Stricker/Tiziani+1800
Kelly/Leonard+2000
Appleby/Wright+2200
Click here for more...
Major Specials 2025
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+500
Jon Rahm+750
Collin Morikawa+900
Xander Schauffele+900
Ludvig Aberg+1000
Justin Thomas+1100
Joaquin Niemann+1400
Shane Lowry+1600
Tommy Fleetwood+1800
Tyrrell Hatton+1800
Click here for more...
US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+275
Rory McIlroy+650
Bryson DeChambeau+700
Jon Rahm+1200
Xander Schauffele+2000
Ludvig Aberg+2200
Collin Morikawa+2500
Justin Thomas+3000
Joaquin Niemann+3500
Shane Lowry+3500
Click here for more...
The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+400
Rory McIlroy+500
Xander Schauffele+1200
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
Click here for more...
Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

Related Post

Tiger, daylight, silence and grass: One month from a very different MastersTiger, daylight, silence and grass: One month from a very different Masters

So much about this Masters will be different — the course, the conditions, the lack of daylight, the absence of the roars. Oh, and it will have been 19 months since Tiger Woods walked off with the green jacket. The countdown is officially on.

Click here to read the full article