Rory McIlroy looking to Olympics - and a holiday - after Open exit

“Yeah, once I made the eight on the 4th hole, that was it. 22 holes into the event and I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on vacation next week."

Rory McIlroy after his round during day two of The Open at Royal Troon. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire.

Rory McIlroy admits he started thinking about where to take his next vacation long before the end of his last Open round of the week, but confirmed he will be back in the game for a tilt at an Olympic medal in a couple of weeks’ time.

The search for his fifth major, and first since 2014, will stretch into an eleventh year after he followed a first round 78 with a second-round 75 that started atrociously with a triple bogey and three bogeys between the 3rd and 6th holes.