Rory McIlroy Makes Senior Open Visit As Padraig Harrington Claims Win In Sunningdale

The five-time Major winner was spotted cheering on good friend, Padraig Harrington, with McIlroy seen among the crowd at Sunningdale

Rory McIlroy waves his hat
Rory McIlroy attended the final round of the Senior Open
(Image credit: Getty Images/X:DPWorldTour)
Mike Hall's avatar
By
published

Rory McIlroy is certainly making the most of his time in Europe, with a return to form on the course, a vacation and now a visit to the ISPS Handa Senior Open.

After a slump following his win at The Masters in April, the PGA Tour star has rediscovered his touch on the course in his two events outside the US this month – a T2 at the Genesis Scottish Open and T7 at The Open in Northern Ireland a week ago.

Following that performance in his homeland, the five-time Major winner doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to return to the US, with his next playing commitment not coming until the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which begins on August 7th.

Days after the Royal Portrush Major, a video emerged of McIlroy enjoying a break in St Tropez in France, and now he has been spotted at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England, to take in the action in the final round of the senior Major.

The DP World Tour released a short video showing McIlroy at the course on Sunday, looking relaxed and having a photograph taken with a fan.

On the course, Irishman Padraig Harrington claimed his maiden Senior Open title, winning by three over Justin Leonard and Thomas Bjorn.

It’s no surprise that McIlroy is ensuring he has plenty of downtime before the cut and thrust of competitive action begins again.

After The Open, he suggested he would be enjoying his time off while he is in Europe, saying: “I feel like being back in Europe for a bit was a nice reset. Yeah, I feel like I'm getting back to where I want to be, and we've still got a lot of golf left this year with obviously Ryder Cup being the big one in there in September.

“And just make sure I'm - I don't want to play too much leading up to that because I want to be fresh. So I'm looking forward to a few weeks off here. I'll reflect on what's been already a good year and start to get myself ready for that run up to the Ryder Cup.”

Rory McIlroy at The Open

Rory McIlroy has returned to form recently, including at The Open

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As McIlroy mentioned, there is still plenty of golf ahead for him to focus on in the coming months.

First will be the FedEx Cup Playoffs, beginning with his next scheduled appearance at the TPC Southwind event.

McIlroy will then return to Europe in September for more golf, including the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in Surrey, which is close to his newly built family home.

After that, it will be back to the States for the biennial Ryder Cup, this year at Bethpage Black, where he will be a key member of the European team hoping to retain the trophy it won at Marco Simone in 2023.

He is then expected to play at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland in October, before his first-ever start in India at the DP World India Championship ahead of two events in the United Arab Emirates for the climax of the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai.

He will finish the year with an appearance at the Australian Open in December.

Little wonder, then, that McIlroy is making the most of being a spectator while he can.

TOPICS
Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.