Sunday putting woes again derail McIlroy's major hopes

It may have been Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club, but it certainly looked like the final round of last year's Open Championship for Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy, who entered that round tied for the lead, hit all 18 greens at the Old Course but two-putted every single one en route to a 2-under 70. While that's not a terrible round of golf from the lead position, it wasn't enough to hold off a charging Cameron Smith to hoist the claret jug.

The 34-year-old entered Sunday as the betting favorite just one stroke back, but couldn't make a birdie over his final 17 holes and fell one shot shy of a playoff with winner Wyndham Clark. The putter was again a major issue for McIlroy, as he ranked 56th among the 65 players who made the cut in strokes gained: putting over the final round.

"I felt like over the last two days when the greens started to get quite crispy that my speed control was off a little bit, and I think that's the reason I didn't hole a lot of putts," McIlroy told reporters afterward, according to ASAP Sports. "I don't think I was hitting bad putts; just hitting them just with slightly the wrong speed. Some were coming up short, some were going long."

The greens certainly played faster on the weekend, and McIlroy's putting stats truly reflect how much he struggled with that increase. He fired back-to-back 5-under 30s on the opening nine on Thursday and Friday but made just four birdies total on the weekend.

McIlroy's longest putt made on Sunday was just over 7 feet, but he certainly wasn't without chances to make a push with a clutch performance on the greens. He missed countless opportunities for birdie, including a four-hole stretch at the turn that proved costly.

Those missed opportunities on Sunday harkened back to his performance at the Old Course, something he acknowledged after his round.

"The last real two chances I've had at majors, I feel like, have been pretty similar performances, like St. Andrews last year and then here," McIlroy said. "Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn't make a birdie since the first hole today. Just trying to be more, I guess, efficient with my opportunities and my looks."

McIlroy admitted that the disappointment of another major without victory is tough, but he wouldn't change the experience for anything.

"It is, but at the same time, when I do finally win this next major, it's going to be really, really sweet," McIlroy said. "I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship."

His major drought has now reached 33 tournaments, with his last victory coming at the 2014 PGA Championship. His attention now shifts to Royal Liverpool, the venue where he won his lone Open Championship in 2014 and the host of this year's tournament.