Dialed In: McIlroy looks to win again in Hamilton

The 2024 Canadian Open tees off this week from Hamilton Golf and Country Club. 

This year, Rory McIlroy headlines the field as he looks to win the event for the third in his career. 

It’s been a stellar 2024 for 35-year-old as he has added three worldwide wins to his resume and continues to be one of the best drivers of the golf ball alive. 

This year, Bob Weeks, Adam Scully and Mark Zecchino have you covered from top to toes on everything you need to know about the Canadian Open. 

Today, they did a deep dive on McIlroy and his chances in this event. Be sure to check out today’s segment on the TSN YouTube page.

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER THE LIFE OF GRAYSON MURRAY 

The PGA Tour was struck by tragedy last week when Grayson Murray’s death was announced Saturday morning. 

Murray, who had dealt with alcohol and mental health issues in the past, became a two-time PGA Tour winner in January by winning the Sony Open, and in late December 2023, he got engaged to his girlfriend of three years. 

In April he played in The Masters for the first time in his career and finished 51st. 

Sunday morning, Murray’s parents confirmed their 30-year-old son died by suicide.

Murray’s death is another hard and painful reminder that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for everybody, and you can never go wrong connecting with a loved one.

According to Canada.ca, 4500 Canadians take their own life every year. And a report from the National Institute of Mental Health indicates 48,100 Americans died by suicide in 2021. 

If you or anyone you know is struggling, do not hesitate to dial or text 9-8-8 to speak with someone at any hour of the day. 

I’m sure we’ll spend the next week remembering Grayson Murray, which is far more important than anything that will happen at this week’s Canadian Open. But a tournament is still being played, and it’s the players job to play. So it’s my job to write.

Let’s get back to McIlroy.

RORY THE GREAT 

It’s been an awesome year for the No. 3 golfer in the world. 

Starting with a win on the DP World Tour in January, McIlroy set the tone for the season, and he’s followed up on that often. 

In 2024, McIlroy has played in 13 events around the world. He has three wins, two top-5s, and six other finishes inside the top 25. 

His last missed cut came at the 2023 Masters, and his streak of 22 consecutive made cuts is the third longest active streak on the PGA Tour (Xander Schauffele 47, Scottie Scheffler 36)

While the overarching theme around McIlroy is often his disappointing finishes in major championships the last 10 years, and despite him not contending in either of the year's first two majors, it still rings true that he’s one of the best and most feared golfers in the game at the moment. 

 OH CANADA 

 Fans in Canada had to wait a long time to see McIlroy play in this country's historic open championship. 

It wasn’t until 2019, 12 years into his professional career, that McIlroy decided to play in the event for the first time. 

And boy, oh boy, was he ever worth the wait. 

Rory steamrolled the field in 2019, besting Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson who tied for second place by seven shots and beating out Adam Hadwin by 10 shots, despite the Canadian finishing alone in sixth. 

As if the wait to get Rory to play in the event wasn’t long enough, fans would again have to be patient as McIlroy was forced to wait until 2022 to defend the 2019 title due to 2020 and 2021 being cancelled for COVID-19. 

The European returned to Canada in 2022 and defended that 2019 win with another victory. This time, he needed 10 birdies on Sunday to hold off Tony Finau and Justin Thomas for a two-shot win.  

McIlroy had a chance to make it three straight wins in Canada in 2023 as well. However, after stalling out on Sunday, he finished five shots out of a playoff between Canadian Nick Taylor and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, with Taylor going on to capture a memorable win with his lengthy putt in the playoff.

A TAKE YOU DIDN’T ASK FOR 

We’ve reached the part of the story where the author inserts his opinion into the piece. 

 Why? 

Because this is my column and I can do with it what I want. 

Here’s my take that you didn’t ask for:  

 Rory is going to miss the cut. 

Three trips to Canada for McIlroy, two wins and a tie for ninth. And I believe the fourth will be a missed cut. 

The past few weeks have been a bit tumultuous for McIlroy. 

Following his win at the Wells Fargo Championship, it was announced that McIlroy and his wife were filing for divorce. 

The following week he got himself into the conversation early at the PGA Championship, but settled for a very quiet tie for 12th.

Shortly after the PGA Championship, McIlroy’s private jet was spotted on it’s way to Belfast for some much-deserved down time.  

Has McIlroy been grinding on his game while he’s been away?

I doubt it.

Personally, I don’t know how sharp he will be entering Canada.

Next week, the Tour heads to Muirfield Village Golf Club where a $20 million purse will be up for grabs at the Memorial. The week after, the game’s best will head down to Pinehurst for the U.S. Open. 

I’m not saying Rory’s game has suddenly fallen off a cliff, but in a sport that requires premium levels of focus at all times, I enter this week wondering if Rory’s desire to win is as high as it will be his next two events. 

 I’ll make the bold claim right here all the way at the bottom, Rory is not winning this event. And if he’s leaving Canada a few days early, I won’t be shocked.