Disappointed McIlroy consigned to the role of non-playing host

They've a saying in these parts, that Slieve Donard has its feet in the sea and its head in the clouds. As a mountain it is "unmissable," which is exactly the one-word marketing catchphrase used about the Irish Open in its new life.

Unfortunately for Rory McIlroy the final two rounds have proven to be very missable; as its headline act, he won’t be around – as a player – for the weekend. He won’t hit a shot in anger at its business end.

The damage of an opening round of 80 on Thursday proved too much of a burden for McIlroy, and although he fought the good fight in seeking to repair matters, the recovery was beyond even his powers.

A second round 71 for 151, nine-over, proved to be four strokes too many and it meant McIlroy missed the cut in the Irish Open for a third successive year. It is almost as if he is jinxed in this very tournament he has taken to his heart.

Meaningful interest

As tournament host, McIlroy will be around Sunday afternoon to meet and greet whoever succeeds Mikko Ilonen as champion. Of course he would have liked to have a more meaningful interest, as a contender. Had juggling the roles of player and host proven too much?

“I’m definitely not using that as an excuse. If anything, I think it has fallen at a pretty bad time in the schedule with it being the fifth tournament in a row for me. In an ideal world, I would have come in with a different preparation.”

He added: “I’m very disappointed. It’s one of the tournaments of the year I really earmarked that I wanted to do well in. It’s my third year in a row where all the people out there supporting me won’t be able to watch me over the last couple of days. It’s tough.”

The return to Europe has been a bit of a letdown for the world number one, who had won twice in a three-week stint on the PGA Tour – in the WGC-Cadillac Matchplay and the Wells Fargo Championship – only to miss the cut at the BMW PGA Championship last week and to follow up with a miserable missed cut on home turf at Royal County Down.

Adding the Wells Fargo to his itinerary as a late call was a master-stroke when he actually won the event – but it contrived to make his calendar crowded and more demanding.

For a time in Friday’s second round, McIlroy appeared quite likely to pull a rabbit from the hat. He was two-under on his round through 14 holes and with the short Par 4 16th and the Par 5 18th still to play.

But the 15th proved to be his undoing, as he suffered a double-bogey six. “I shot myself in the foot,” he conceded.

It was game over. In the end, he was four strokes too many.

“It’s obviously disappointing, to say the least,” admitted McIlroy. “I’m honestly looking forward to a couple of weeks off and getting ready for the US Open.”

Great job

There was sympathy for McIlroy from his fellow tour players. As Graeme McDowell put it, “Rory has done such a great job building this event to the level it is at . . . . I feel for him.”

McIlroy has a two-week break from tournament play before preparing for the US Open at Chambers Bay, outside Seattle. His plan is to travel to the venue – which has links characteristics and is playing host to its first Major – on the weekend prior to the championship to familiarise himself with the course.

Before he left, McIlroy was asked if there were any positives he could take away.

“About my golf game? Probably none. About everything else that we’ve done? There’s loads of positives. The Irish Open is back to what it should be, and all the work that we’ve done with the foundation and all the people we’re helping because of that. There’s loads of positives in that sense. But my golf game? Not so much.”

At the top of the leaderboard there was a six-way tie on three under involving Soren Kjeldsen, Tyrell Hatton, Rafael Cabrero-Bello, Chris Wood, Bernd Wiesbergar and Richie Ramsey. Pádraig Harrington leads the Irish challenge just one shot behind after a second round 73.