The British Open holds a special place in Rory McIlroy’s heart.

The native of Northern Ireland got his start on the European Tour before making it to the PGA Tour, where he holds four majors wins on his resume and three FedEx Cup championships. He has represented Europe on the international stage in the past, so it’s understandable why the national open held in his neck of the woods means a little bit more. 

“I think history and tradition and legacy are a really big part of the game of golf,” McIlroy said when discussing the national Opens earlier this year. “The Opens definitely mean something else.”

McIlroy has certainly endured his ups-and-downs at the Open Championship, also referred to as the British Open. From claiming the Claret Jug, to narrowly missing the top spot of the leaderboard, to failing to make the weekend, the golfer certainly has endured a mix of emotions throughout his history at the major. 

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From his highest highs, to his lowest lows, here is a history of McIlroy’s finishes at the British Open. 

Rory McIlroy worst finishes at British Open

Barring a miraculous Round 2 on Friday, McIlroy seems destined to finish with one of his worst showings at an British Open. 

McIlroy has played 14 times at the Open prior to 2024. Out of those 14 competitions, he only missed the cut twice.

The first came in 2013, where an 8-over round to start the tournament set him up to miss the weekend cut at Muirfield. 

Then in 2019, 8-over-par showing in the first round, once again put him in a bad spot. His first round included a quadruple bogey on the No. 1, a double bogey on No. 16, and a triple bogey on No. 18. He roared back with a 6-under showing in the second round, but missed the cut by a single stroke at Royal Portrush. 

What year did Rory McIlroy win the British Open?

McIlroy was successful in winning the Claret Jug in 2014. At the time, it was his third major in his career. 

The Northern Irishman prevailed at Royal Liverpool, becoming the sixth golfer to win the championship by leading wire-to-wire. He began with a 6-under round on that Thursday, and did not look back, ending the tournament 17-under to beat Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia by two strokes. 

Rory McIlroy British Open history

When McIlroy won his first British Open in 2014, he seemed destined to win at least one more. 

A decade later, he is still looking for another win at the Open. 

He nearly finished atop the leaderboard for the Claret Jug in 2018. McIlroy was one of four golfers to end the final round at 6-under, however, Francesco Molinari earned the win by ending his tournament at 8-under, winning by two strokes. While McIlroy was close to the top of the leaderboard, he never had a victory within grasp. 

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Another one of his closest finishes came in 2022 at St. Andrew’s when he suffered a similar collapse to the one he had in June at the U.S. Open. Missed opportunities to put the match away, paired with a ferocious final round by Cameron Smith, led to McIlory finishing third, watching as the Australian claimed his first major. 

Here is a look at the full British Open results for McIlroy in his career.