The Open 2016: Rory McIlroy says he still feels like the defending champion despite agony of watching last year’s Open
Northern Irishman could barely bring himself to watch last year's tournament as Zach Johnson scooped the trophy at home of golf with McIlroy laid up with leg in plaster
RORY McILROY could barely bring himself to watch last year’s Open.
Now he is on a mission to reclaim the Claret Jug and says he STILL feels like the defending champion.
The Northern Irishman, 27, has even slipped out of the top three in the world rankings for the first time since he won at Hoylake in July 2014.
McIlroy was missing at St Andrews last year — on one of his favourite courses — because of an injury sustained playing football with his mates.
That hurt physically and mentally as he saw Zach Johnson, 40, lift the trophy at the home of golf.
McIlroy said: “After being forced to watch it on TV last year with my ankle in plaster, another victory would be special.
“It’s hard to put into words just how frustrating it was to miss out on St Andrews.
“I’m not teeing off as the defending champion this week, but it feels a bit like I am because the last time I played The Open I won it.
“I couldn’t watch too much of last year’s Open because I’d have gone stir crazy.
“I’ve always felt St Andrews is a great fit for my game, and I couldn’t wait to get there.
“And I’ve felt a lot like that about Troon during the build-up to this year’s championship, even though I don’t know the course half as well.
“That’s down to having to wait two years to experience the thrill of playing in The Open again.
“This one is different. This one is personal.”
Dustin Johnson, 32, won the last major, the US Open at Oakmont, and has eclipsed McIlroy this season.
If the forecast at Troon today is to be believed, Johnson, McIlroy and, another big-hitter, Jason Day will be out to blast the course into submission before the weather deteriorates.
One of the men closest to McIlroy, 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, 49, believes he is ready to explode into action.
McGinley said: “It makes me laugh when I hear people point to the fact that he has slipped to fourth in the world rankings, and start to point to the ‘demise’ of Rory. That is crazy talk.
“Rory always responds to a challenge, and he’ll be hurting over the position he finds himself. That makes him even more dangerous.
“We talk about the big four, or Rory, Day, Johnson and Spieth, and whatever the world rankings say.
“It’s musical chairs at the top of the rankings, because there’s not much between them all.
“And if you look beyond that, of the current crop, Rory is the leader. He is the man.”
McGinley hopes McIlroy can put down another marker this weekend.
He added: “He has four Majors, the others don’t. Jordan has two, Johnson and Day one each.
“We lose perspective of where Rory is in the game and what he has achieved at 27. Only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have won more at that age.
“It is easy to be critical and say that he hasn’t won a Major for a year and a half.
“But I think the others have raised their game.
“Guys are matching the power that Rory used to dominate with. We’re seeing Dustin and Jason both do that, while Jordan has won his with some out-of- this-world putting.