Rory McIlroy told he’ll never win The Open again

As The Open returns to Rory McIlroy’s native Northern Ireland this summer, he’s been told his chances of lifting the Claret Jug again are slim.

McIlroy, 35, won golf’s oldest major at Royal Liverpool in 2014, the third of his four major titles.

But Brian Twite, the only golfer still alive from the first Open at Royal Portrush in 1951, has told the Telegraph that McIlroy’s game doesn’t fit the test.

Neither does Adam Scott or Justin Rose’s.

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So, who will win this year’s contest? Twite reckons Irishman Shane Lowry will win again on home soil, as the ‘best putter’ in the field.

“I think [Shane] Lowry will win again,” the 98-year-old said. “He is the best putter and has the perfect game for Portrush.

“I can’t see Rory McIlroy, or Adam Scott or Justin Rose ever winning an Open Championship in the future.

“They are good at target golf, but they hit the ball too high for links golf. You can’t hit it high at the Open. The best players play a low ball.”

McIlroy missed the cut at last year’s Open, albeit in brutal conditions, after finishing T6 and third in the previous two editions.

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But he also missed the cut the last time The Open was held at Royal Portrush, and he told Sky Sports in December that he has ‘unfinished business’ to attend to.

A green jacket still eludes the reigning PLAYERS champion but, according to Twite, the best major to win isn’t played at Augusta National.

“The Open is the tournament that every professional wants to win, far more than the US Masters, which is an invitational, so doesn’t have all the best players,” he said.

The 2025 Open takes place from July 17-20.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.