Rory McIlroy fell just short of a second Open Championship win at St Andrews. The Northern Irishman had to settle for third place in Scotland, however, it will be a week which will give the former world number one a lot of confidence.
The 33-year-old finished on -18, which was two shots away from the winner Cameron Smith. He produced rounds of 66, 68, 66 and 70, meaning he was at the top end of the leaderboard in the Major Championship throughout the four days.
The four-time major winner will have the chance to add to his tally in the big four events when he features at Augusta for US Masters in April. McIlroy is 12/1 in the golf betting to prevail in the tournament in Georgia in 2023.
Given how well McIlroy has played at Augusta throughout his career, he is likely to be one of the popular golf tips for the trophy. In his 14 appearances in the tournament, he has finished inside the top 10 on seven occasions, and he has missed the cut just twice. His best performance came earlier this year when he was second.
McIlroy – one of the in-form players in 2022
It has been eight years now since McIlroy last won a Major Championship. His form took a dip in 2017 and 2020, as he failed to win in those two years. The 21-time PGA Tour winner is now in contention at just about every tournament he enters.
For the first time in his career, McIlroy has finished in the top 10 of all four Major Championships in 2022. He followed up his runner-up finish in the US Masters to be eighth in the US PGA Championship. In the US Open, he ended the weekend in a tie for fifth place, while he was third at St Andrews.
McIlroy won his second tournament of the season back in June at the Canadian Open. He prevailed in the event in Ontario by two shots. That success helped the golfer from Holywood, County Down, move up the world rankings. He is now as high as third, behind Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith respectively.
Ryder Cup winner remains committed to PGA Tour
As a four-time winner with team Europe, McIlroy is a Ryder Cup legend. He will be hoping to lead his continent to more success in the team competition in 2023. Unlike some of the biggest names in the sport, McIlroy has committed his future to the PGA Tour, which means he will be eligible to play against Team USA in Rome next year.
McIlroy, who began his career on the European Tour, could also feature more in Europe over the next 12 months. He has already declared to play the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September. The home star won the event in 2014 and he also finished second in 2018.
The popular PGA Tour player is considered by many pundits to be one of the best of his generation. If this year is anything to go by, some of his best golf may still be ahead of him.