Rory McIlroy Nearly Left The 2-Iron That Won Him The Scottish Open At Home

Rory McIlroy’s 201-yard second shot on Sunday at the Scottish Open was “one of the best shots” he will hit in his career, the four-time Major Champion said following the conclusion of his round.

The club he hit the shot with is not a staple in his bag, and because of the links golf that is played at The Renaissance Club, McIlroy pulled the 17-degree 2-iron out of his garage and put it into play this past weekend.

“It was 201 yards. My 2-iron normally goes 260. It was a 60 yard wind.”

Rory McIlroy 💬#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries

pic.twitter.com/FMkntQdATs

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 17, 2023

Without it, he may not have been victorious.

.@TaylorMadeGolf P760 2-iron that Rory McIlroy used to hit the dart on 18 is a new addition this week. Pulled it out of the garage prior to leaving for Scotland and plans to use it at Hoylake as well.

17 degrees
58.5 degrees (lie angle)
D4 pic.twitter.com/aAt9gey9Tc

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) July 16, 2023

Links golf, especially in gusty Scotland, is among the toughest conditions to conquer. Sunday was no different. Wind gusts were up to 40 MPH and numerous times throughout the round, McIlroy, among others, backed away from their tee shots to analyze their positions.

Driver and other large-headed clubs that get the ball up in the air were not suitable for those conditions nearly as often as other courses. Many players utilize driving irons or long irons in lieu of woods and hybrids; it is much easier to control ball flight that way.

According to Golf.com, the 2-iron is the third P760 long iron that Rory has added to the bag this season. The first two were also P760s, but they were a 3 and a 4-iron, which are obviously more lofted and increase launch.

He also said:

“I feel by going back to that [TaylorMade P760] long iron in the 3- and the 4-iron, just to give me a bit more extra flight into the par-5s. I feel like sometimes with the 3- and the 4-iron in the blades, they can come in a little flat at times, where the par-5 and the second shots into the par-5s, specifically this week, are very, very important, so I thought having a little bit more flight on those long irons could be helpful.”

McIlroy heads into the weekend as the most recent winner of the Claret Jug at Hoylake Royal Liverpool, where he won an Open Championship in 2014.

Cover Image Via Twitter