Rory McIlroy needs to fix one thing before the British Open - Global Trends, Breaking News & Viral Updates

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NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — The clip instantly went viral.

Rory McIlroy watched as he lifted his approach shot high into the air on the par-4 16th on Sunday and it began to veer further and further to the left.

“I’m such a bad golfer,” McIlroy exclaimed loud enough to be picked up by television microphones as he walked to retrieve his ball, now nestled in the fescue grass far to the left of the green.

Of course, McIlroy is a good golfer. When he hit the putt he was in the top five at the Genesis Scottish Open and was named player of the day. But it did shine a light on one issue McIlroy needs to overcome if he wants to do more than just flirt with his opponents at next week’s Open Championship.

The problem is not new. McIlroy talked about the problems that wind from left to right can cause, especially when he practices with it on the range. His clubface and club path are veering too far to the left, resulting in errant misses to the left.

*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:cente r;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-17yg vlf>img,.css-17ygvlf>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-17ygvlf::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:56.25%;}))> Rory McIlroy's efforts propelled Birdie to a 13th-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open.

Rory McIlroy’s efforts propelled Birdie to a 13th-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open.

This week it happened again and his move went out of whack long enough to keep him out of the winner’s circle. He was one of the leaders after 36 holes and was very pleased with his performance. But the miss began to show on Saturday and was exaggerated by a weather delay that threw him out of rhythm. The result: His approach ranking was well below average due to misses such as 16th place. He lost by more than two field goals in the third.

“At least I know what I’m doing,” McIlroy said. “It’s a matter of trying to make it right.”

Will he be able to fix it in time? McIlroy will travel to Southport on Sunday evening for three full days of training at Royal Birkdale. McIlroy scouted the course two weeks ago, which will give him extra time to focus on his shot rather than the course. He said he just needed to practice in the opposite wind, from right to left, to straighten out his shot.

The rest of McIlroy’s week was a good one. He led the driving, which is a notable achievement as he had some minor failures with his favorite club and adjusted well to the slower links greens. These will be key moments in McIlroy’s fight for his second claret.

Rory McIlroy rises and falls from 143 yards for birdie at No. 6 at the Genesis Scottish Open.

They won’t matter if McIlroy can’t fix his iron situation. That was McIlroy’s main takeaway after shooting an under-64 on Sunday that easily could have been a few shots better.

He made an early splash, rocketing up the leaderboard and one shot clear of the leader while on the back nine. But a few too many errors, mostly with his irons in the third round, meant his performance was just a matinee for the real consequences that came late Sunday.

“That was the difference between 73 (Saturday) and 64 (Sunday),” McIlroy said.

McIlroy still managed just one win this season, although that was good. Since winning the Masters in April, he has made just five starts. This week at the Renaissance Club was the closest he ever came to discord. This is also his second top 10 during this period. He finished seventh at the PGA Championship.

“I know I need to work a little bit before next Thursday to feel really comfortable with my game,” McIlroy said. “But I don’t feel like it’s too far off. But yes, it is – there are definitely some positive signs.”