Scotland make tribute to McIlroy as he returns to golf after US Open heartbreak

Staff at the Scottish Open are doing their best to keep Rory McIlroy’s spirits up after a tough month.

The golfing megastar from Northern Ireland decided to take a break in June after an agonising defeat at the US Open left him reeling.

Without a major win in a decade, the 35-year-old was on the brink on June 16, leading Bryson DeChambeau with five holes to play at Pinehurst. Sadly for McIlroy, he faltered to lose the tournament by a single stroke.

He described the defeat as ‘the toughest day of his career’ and said he needed ‘a few weeks away from the game’.

As promised, McIlroy is now back and ready to play at The Renaissance Club in Scotland, and if he’s still feeling a bit down, there will be a new addition to cheer him up.

At last year’s Scottish Open, he hit a 202-yard two- iron from the heavens on the final hole.

It left him with 11 feet to win the tournament in one of his most flawless rounds of his career.

To commemorate that legendary moment, staff have since installed a plaque on the spot where McIlroy wowed the crowd like never before.

Club founder Jerry Sarvadi said: “We just did it today. We’re going to tell him when he gets here.”

Discussing the shot at the time, McIlroy said: “When I turn 80, it will be one of the five best shots I hit in my entire career.”

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Hopefully the gesture provides a boost to the County Down star, who candidly opened up on how much his US Open defeat hurt him.

Speaking a day later, he said: “Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.

“Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.

“As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.

“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.

“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”