Rory McIlroy’s putter let him down throughout the week at Doonbeg, while his third-round collapse on Saturday ended his hopes of winning a third Irish Open title. Two double bogeys in his first six holes left him with too much ground to make up. He eventually finished the 2026 Amgen Irish Open, held from September 10–13 at Trump International Golf Links, tied for 41st. At one point, he was nine shots behind eventual winner Shane Lowry.
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McIlroy said his biggest problem was his putting. “I thought I hit the ball pretty well for the most part. A couple of bad decisions off the tees yesterday, but overall, iron play was a lot better. That’s getting there. Wedge play was pretty good for the most part this week. Obviously, it was a struggle on the greens. That was the difficult thing and why I wasn’t able to get myself into contention,” he said.
He added that he planned to spend some time on the putting green before heading to Wentworth. McIlroy saved his best round for Sunday, shooting a 67 with seven birdies, including one on the final hole. But it was not enough to make up for the damage from the first three days. He finished the Amgen Irish Open at 1-under and tied for 41st.
Speaking after the round, Rory McIlroy remained positive about his game. In comments, he said, “I think overall, I’ve seen enough good stuff this week to give me encouragement going into next week: a golf course that I know well and a golf course that I’ve had success on.”
He added, “Yeah, obviously wasn’t the week that I wanted but at the same time, I don’t feel too far away, and I feel good about going into Wentworth next week.”
The defending champion’s week began to fall apart on Saturday and never recovered. McIlroy had opened with a 69 on Thursday, finishing within four shots of first-round leader Joaquín Niemann. He followed it with another 69 on Friday, but putting problems continued to hurt him.
His title hopes took a major hit in the third round. McIlroy made two double bogeys in his first six holes, including one at the third after losing a ball. He eventually carded a 74, dropping to 2-over par and a tie for 50th, nine shots behind Lowry at the time.
“No momentum early,” Rory McIlroy said after the round. “And then it was a tough enough day. Obviously, the wind was up and stuff. Yeah, just couldn’t quite get it back after that.”
He improved slightly with a 69 on Friday, but Saturday was another difficult day. McIlroy made two early double bogeys and shot another 74. He dropped to 2-over par and fell to a tie for 50th, nine shots behind the leader at the time. His putting remained a major problem throughout the week. The Irish Times reported after his second round that McIlroy had struggled to read the greens, even though his ball-striking was in much better shape. That difference between his game from tee to green and his putting continued until Sunday.
McIlroy was also facing a huge challenge because of the way Shane Lowry was playing. Lowry set a course record with a 62 on Friday before shooting a 65 on Saturday. He one-putted every green on the back nine that day and took a four-shot lead into Sunday at 16-under. Lowry was three shots ahead of Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen and was in a strong position to win his second Irish Open title, 17 years after his first win as an amateur at Baltray in 2009.
McIlroy could not match that kind of form. Even his 67 on Sunday was not enough to get him back into contention. Still, McIlroy was happy to see Lowry playing so well. “I think there’s a great buzz around the tournament because Shane’s up there and leading,” he said.
There was also more attention around this year’s Irish Open because of McIlroy’s status as the two-time defending champion. The tournament had a $6 million purse, with the winner taking home just over $1 million. McIlroy was looking for his third Irish Open title after winning in 2016 and 2025.
The tournament also had an unusual moment when President Trump visited Doonbeg during the week, adding even more attention to an already big event.
But Rory McIlroy did not sound too disappointed after his poor title defense. His attention has already moved to next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, a course he knows well and where he has enjoyed success before.
With his iron play improving and more time planned on the putting green, McIlroy left Doonbeg believing he is not far from finding his best form again. For him, the Irish Open was a disappointing week, but there were still enough positives to look ahead to Wentworth with confidence.