Now, according to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, McIlroy is listed with 9/1 odds to win, and that is assuming he plays in the tournament. McIlroy was listed at 6-to-1.
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It’s much more likely that the long-term affects of McIlroy’s injury will be greater than any short-term hopes.
However, McIlroy has always expressed his wish “to live as normal a life as possible” and his down-to-earth attitude is regarded as one of his charms. He is doubtful for next week’s British Open. The No. 1 golfer in the world is unlikely to participate in the British Open – the third major tournament of the season – on July 16.
“For me, it doesn’t change anything”, he told the Golf Channel. He would need to finish seventh or better at this week’s John Deere Classic and then win the British Open.
St. Andrews, considered “the home of golf, ” is the most venerable venue in the world.
With McIlroy a non-starter, who’s playing this week in the Scottish Open? The following week he won the Masters to make the jump to No. 2.
McIlroy and Spieth have won the last four majors, marking the first time in almost a century that two players in their 20s have shared four successive majors. He has only one sighting of St Andrews under his belt, four years ago, and that was in September when conditions bore little relation to the hard and fast terrain he will encounter next week.
At this point, however, it looks like Jordan Spieth will, unfortunately, not be battling Rors while he goes for the grand slam. The injury came from what seemed an innocuous ankle twist as the World Number One ran towards the ball.
The torn ligaments in his ankle might not just keep him out of the Open, but could hinder his ability to defend his titles at the WGC-Bridgestone and next month’s PGA Championship, where the venue is Whistling Straits, another place where he contended in 2010.
Recovery from injuries such as the one reported by McIlroy can take weeks or, in the worst cases, months and even require surgery. Darren Clarke missed the 2012 Masters with a hamstring injury incurred while playing tennis in the Bahamas with his sons. What’s wrong with that?… It takes a lot longer than you think to heal.
It is the second time McIlroy has hurt his ankle playing soccer, the last time just before Christmas in 2013 that put him down for a week. We will all miss you (at)TheOpen next week my friend. “Fast and healthy recovery”.
The 21-year-old Texan would also prefer his rival to be in action at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
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McIlroy, 26, broke the news on his Instagram account Monday morning, posting a picture of himself on crutches, his left leg in a boot, with an explanation that read, in part, “Total rupture of ATFL [ankle ligament] and associated joint capsule damage…”
