Frustrated McIlroy counts cost of ‘wristgate’
The final Major of the year had started with high hopes for McIlroy to notch a second Major title to follow his US Open breakthrough success in June but expectations crashed at just the third hole in the first round as the 22-year-old sprained a tendon in his right wrist.
Now McIlroy has two weeks to rest up and heal the injury before the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre on September 1, during which time he can also be expected to be seen courtside at new tennis-star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki’s matches on the WTA Tour.
“It’s been a frustrating week,” said McIlroy following a closing four-over-par 74 sent him to 11 over par for the tournament and a tie for 64th place.
“I have basically played 70 holes out of 72 of this golf tournament with, not a serious injury, but I wasn’t at 100% so it was frustrating not to be able to play the way I wanted to.
“But I got through the tournament and I was proud of that. I am looking forward just to taking a couple of weeks off and making sure that I come back fully fit when I’m ready.”
McIlroy’s final round of the year in the United States had a little bit of everything, including a triple-bogey seven at his nemesis, the par-four third, a trip to the hospitality boxes at the ninth and an immaculate birdie at the 18th hole.
There were four birdies in all, five bogeys and the triple as McIlroy posted a second 74 in a row, his best round of 70 having come on Thursday when he was playing in most pain following the second shot at the third that saw him jar the wrist after his seven iron smashed into a tree root.
“If I get myself in the position again where there’s a tree root right next to my ball I might think twice about what shot I’m going to play,” McIlroy said ruefully.
“To be honest I’m glad to be done. It was a struggle. Still, I had some good play out there the last few days and birdied the last. It was nice to come off with a positive each day.”
As for the wrist, the medical update from the patient was: “It’s fine. The swelling in the tendon went down. The pronator muscle is still a little sore. I’ll be in regular contact with Dr Stephen McGregor and telling him how it’s feeling. I will just basically play it by ear. It’s definitely not as painful as it was, but it seems like the pain went a little further up my arm and more into the inside of my elbow and pronator muscle.”
If this has been a disappointing end to McIlroy’s Major championship campaign it certainly confirms the view that it has been one of two distinct halves — from the confident start to the Masters, the lessons learned from the subsequent final-round disappointment, to the majestic style of his eight-shot US Open win to a windswept third round at the British Open and now ‘wristgate’.
The second half should not take away in shape or form from the first and McIlroy certainly reflected on the whole.
“It has been great. To get my first major at the US Open was great and I learned a lot at the Masters, that was a huge learning curve for me. Leading for 63 holes there and not being able to finish it off but then coming back the next time and winning. The last two Majors of the year have been funny. I’ve had to deal with a bit more attention than I usually would get and I have learned a lot from that as well. So it has been a great learning year for me and there have been a lot of positives to take.”
