Rory McIlroy's 'dominate' vow comes back to haunt him after Open disaster

Rory McIlroy, full of confidence, expressed his aims to "dominate" the world of golf following his triumphant victory at The Open in 2014, but unfortunately, his ambition was unfulfilled as he is currently marking a decade without major championship success.

The highly regarded Northern Irish golfer was on top of the world after securing the legendary Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool, followed by more triumphs at the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship. His exceptional performances led people to believe this young athlete, then only 25, would continue to conquer the most prestigious tournaments in the sport.

Moreover, he validated this perception by attaining another PGA Championship later that year. Nonetheless, in the following years, McIlroy's drought has become a relentless obstacle for him as he eyes to break free from a ten-year long spell without a major victory. The recent disappointment at the US Open in June where he landed second place despite leading with five holes left- intensifies his desire to clinch another win.

Undeniably, the past decade didn't live up to the expectations set by McIlroy and his many fans. Revisiting his substantial claim in 2014 post his victory at the Open, he had declared his intentions of winning more major championships progressing onwards.

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"I feel like there's a lot more left in me. I want be to be the guy that goes on and wins majors regularly," McIlroy confidently expressed in Merseyside, setting his sights high with aspirations to reach the legendary status of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods: "Golf is looking for someone to put their hand up and try to dominate and I want to be that person."

McIlroy, exuding confidence and ambition, then shared: "I'm immensely proud of myself. To sit here 25 years of age and win my third major championship and be three-quarters of the way to the career grand slam, I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly."

Discussing his prospects of snagging the much-coveted green jacket at the Masters, he added: "I'm getting more comfortable. The thing is I've always been comfortable from tee to green at Augusta and it's just taken me a few years to figure out the greens and figure out where you need to miss it and some different little shots that you might need that week. I'll be going into Augusta next year pretty confident."

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A decade later, these remarks will have fans pondering what could have been for McIlroy had he maintained the early momentum of his career. His recent US Open collapse and the gut-wrenching defeat at the 2022 Open are among the significant setbacks that have haunted him.

Reflecting on the pain of his past experiences, he shared with the Guardian: "St Andrews hurt way more than [the US Open]. Oh my God. I didn't cry after this," and elaborated, "It is St Andrews. It is the Open. A three-shot lead on 10 ... it was the 150th. The crowd support I got there was unreal."

He also looked back on the summer's events at Pinehurst No. 2, saying: "Was it a great opportunity to win a major? Absolutely. It hurt and in the moment it was tough, terrible."