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HOYLAKE, England — Rory McIlroy won a Claret Jug the last time the Open Championship was played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, in 2014.
Three weeks later, McIlroy, then 25, won his fourth major at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. It seemed like he would just keep piling up major championship trophies.
McIlroy, now 34, hasn’t won one since.
He’ll try to end a nearly nine-year drought without a major championship victory when The Open returns to Royal Liverpool Golf Club this week. The Northern Irishman was already a heavy betting favorite to win, and now the expectations surrounding him will only be higher after he carded birdies on the final two holes to win the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.
McIlroy became the first player to win the Open Championship, Scottish Open and Irish Open. He also climbed to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“It’s nice to have the validation,” McIlroy said Sunday. “It’s great racking up top-5s, top-10s, but it’s much nicer heading away with a trophy on Sunday afternoon. It’s a great shot of confidence.
“Having something fresh in my memory if I hopefully find myself in a similar position next week where I’ve got a chance to win with nine holes to go, I can certainly draw on what I did here today — that I can get myself in the mix again.”
Here are the players to watch, from the guys who can win to amateurs, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club this week:
Jump to a section:
Guys who can win | If everything goes right |
Miracles happen | Happy to make the cut | Past champions | Amateurs
Tier I: The guys who can win
Here are the legitimate contenders to win The Open. They have the games, guts and nerves to handle four…
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