Missing McIlroy takes gloss off weekend

Just one of those weeks was the way Rory McIlroy summed up his one-over-par return for two rounds. Alas, for him and the 60,000 golf fans expected through the gates at Fota Island this weekend, it came at an Irish Open.

A missed cut for the second year in a row in his home Open should not detract from the great Irish presence at the other end of the leaderboard after 36 holes, but losing the two-time Major winner and highest-ranked of them all is bound to take a little gloss from the picture.

Nothing is ever straightforward when it comes to McIlroy and this week in Cork was no exception. He began it minus his golf clubs, lost by an airline en route from last week’s US Open, surprised everybody by declaring his allegiance to Ireland for the Olympic Games and then when the tournament actually got going played well below his potential.