Rory McIlroy British Open: Dissecting McIlroy's Biggest Weaknesses

Rory McIlroy became a superstar after his dominance in the 2011 U.S. Open. He was the darling of the PGA Tour coming into the year and got off to a hot start.

Lately, there seems to be something missing. 

It is important to remember that McIlroy is just 23 years old, so he is not even in his peak years. However, seeing him miss three of the last four cuts—including at the U.S. Open—is disheartening for someone with so much talent. 

At the very least, McIlroy did show some positive signs in the first round of the 2012 Open Championship. He finished Thursday tied for sixth place with a three-under par 67, the same score as Tiger Woods.

Having said that, it was not a perfect round. We will break down what he is still doing wrong and what could cost him as the tournament moves on. 

Driving Accuracy

McIlroy can hit the ball as far as anyone on the tour. Where he runs into problems is trying to control where the ball is going. 

His problems hitting the ball off the tee onto the fairway were evident in the first round, though he was able to use his wedges and putter to make up for what he couldn't do off the tee. As long as McIlroy figures out how to hit the ball straight, he should be able to catch the leader. 

Unfortunately, we have seen this act too many times recently. You can play one good round without driving the ball well, but it will catch up to you eventually. 

Confidence

In keeping with the ability to hit the ball straight, McIlroy just looks like he has lost his confidence and edge on the course. 

There was a time, not that long ago, when McIlroy wasn't afraid to try anything. No shot was too crazy or off limits, as long as he clearly saw the path to the green. However, over the last few months, everything has started to snowball on him.

Not in a good way.

Whenever McIlroy hits one shot that goes awry, the next one looks worse. That just keeps going on and on until the round mercifully ends and he misses the cut. 

The Open Championship course at Royal Lytham & St. Annes is not an incredibly difficult place to play, though it is imperative to get off to a fast start. McIlroy did that in the first rond. 

Pressure

The third and final "weakness" in McIlroy's game follows the same theme as the previous one about his confidence. 

It is easy for us to look at an athlete from the outside and say they should be this or that, but we have no idea what is going on in their head at any given moment. 

When McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open by eight strokes, there was some thought that he could be the next Tiger Woods. What do you think that kind of pressure does to someone so young?

That kind of pressure is going to weigh on someone's mind. It didn't show in the results immediately, as McIlroy finished in the top-three of his first three PGA Tour events this season. However, there seems to be something psychological going on with him. 

Golf is as much mental as it is physical. He needs to take a step back and figure out what was working before that has been missing lately. 

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