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Rory McIlroy: Can he make a 2nd round push at The Open?

By Brandon Raper

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks dejected as he hands the club to his caddie JP Fitzgerald on the 5th hole during the first round of the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 20, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks dejected as he hands the club to his caddie JP Fitzgerald on the 5th hole during the first round of the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 20, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Rory McIlroy was falling apart early Thursday at The Open Championship, but he salvaged his day with a spectacular back nine

Rory McIlroy hasn’t looked like a former major champion and long-time world No. 1 lately. He’s missed three of his last four cuts worldwide, and has generally looked lost along the way.

That was the case early on Thursday at the Open Championship, when he got some choice words of wisdom from his caddie.

“You’re Rory McIlroy,” J.P. Fitzgerald said to his boss. “What the f*** are you doing?”

Sometimes, the simplest words are the best, aren’t they?

Putting aside for the moment the intestinal fortitude it takes to say something like that to the guy paying your bills, it may have been just the wakeup call McIlroy needed to hear.

That was the entire conversation the two had on the sixth tee at Royal Birkdale. McIlroy was four over at the time, and a bogey on the sixth had him on the verge of total collapse. But after that sixth hole, McIlroy started to turn things around.

Three pars to close out the front nine stopped the bleeding. A birdie on the par-4 11th gave McIlroy a little bounce in his step. Three more in his last four holes brought McIlroy to a respectable score of one-over-par 71. He’ll begin Friday’s second round just six shots off the lead shared by Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Matt Kuchar.

Will McIlroy be able to maintain momentum on Friday, and build to the weekend?

Prior to this week, I had McIlroy still pegged as a solid contender for The Open. Despite his recent struggles, he’s been on the cusp of some really good golf. But will Thursday’s surge be enough to carry him into the weekend?

Based on some of the shots he made on Thursday, at least, the confidence shouldn’t be a factor

Rory McIlroy The Open Championship 2017
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND – JULY 20: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland during the first round of the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

anymore. McIlroy told The Guardian that his recent slump had left him with “just not as much belief in myself as I should have had.”

However, by the time wayward tee shots gave way to clutch birdie putts down the stretch, you could see the swagger come back to his step, even if just for the moment.

"Thankfully, I showed the character today to bounce back and hang tough when I needed to."

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With more rain and heavier winds in the forecast for Friday, McIlroy won’t have much room for error. He’ll begin second-round play with Dustin Johnson and Charl Schwartzel at 9:47AM local time. A round of perhaps two or three under par could leave McIlroy in striking distance heading into the weekend.

It’s hard to imagine that McIlroy will stay in his slump for much longer. He heard his wake-up call loud and clear on Thursday. With the Claret Jug on the line, there’s no more room for a lack of confidence. At majors and Ryder Cups past, we’ve seen what a fired-up McIlroy is capable of.

We’ll see if that can come out on the course one more time.

Next: Five Amateurs Debut at 2017 Open Championship

What do you expect to see from Rory McIlroy as the Open rolls on? Leave us a comment below, or let us know on Twitter @ProGolfNow. Catch all the Open Championship action at TheOpen.com.

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