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

Rory McIlroy, brimming with confidence after his 2014 Open victory, ambitiously aimed to "dominate" the golfing world. Yet, a decade has passed without him adding to his major tally , with the golfer putting in one of his worst performances yet this week at The Open .

The Northern Irish golf sensation was riding high following his Claret Jug win at Royal Liverpool, complemented by his earlier successes at the 2011 US Open and the 2012 PGA Championship.

At just 25, McIlroy seemed destined for continued glory in the sport's most esteemed competitions. But this weekend shows just how far he has fallen off.

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His subsequent PGA Championship win that same year only reinforced the belief in his potential for dominance. However, the years since have seen McIlroy grappling with a persistent dry spell, now stretching over ten years without a major win.

The sting of narrowly missing out on the US Open title in June, where he finished second after leading into the final five holes, only fuels his hunger for another major triumph.

Despite the high hopes sparked by his bold post-Open declaration in 2014, McIlroy's anticipated reign over the majors has yet to materialize.

Asserting his ambitions in Merseyside, Rory McIlroy boldly stated: "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," setting his sights on joining the ranks of legendary figures like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods with his aim for dominance in Golf.

Still with a sense of accomplishment, he added: "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 chances of earning the coveted green jacket at the Masters, he shared: "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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Just ten years later, considering these comments, supporters will be left wondering what might have been if McIlroy had sustained the initial momentum he showed in his career. His recent mishap at the US Open and heartbreaking defeat at the 2022 Open are among his most significant setbacks that continue to plague him.

Reminiscing about the trials of his past tournaments, he revealed to The Guardian: "St Andrews hurt way more than [the US Open]. Oh my God. I didn't cry after this," and expanded, "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 retrospected on the happenings at Pinehurst No. 2 last summer, asserting: "Was it a great opportunity to win a major? Absolutely. It hurt and in the moment it was tough, terrible."

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