Rory McIlroy's bid to win his fifth major title will drag on for another decade after his second-worst performance at the British Open.
Five weeks after his heartbreaking loss at the US Open, McIlroy added a second round of 75 to his opening 78 at Royal Troon to finish 11 over par, a single stroke better than his 2013 finish at Muirfield.
The world number two admitted he was starting to think about his holiday plans after his outside chance of making the cut was dashed on Friday when he completed the first six holes at six over par, including a triple bogey on the eighth hole at the fourth hole.
“I had the worst possible start today and when I made it to the eighth hole, that was it. 22 holes in the tournament are already over and I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on holiday next week,” said McIlroy, who last celebrated a major success in 2014.
“I wasn't planning on shooting four or five under par to make the cut. After that, it was a pretty meaningless 14 holes, but at least I played OK.”
McIlroy admitted he had struggled to cope with the windy conditions of the first two days, adding: “In the two majors where I played poorly, the Masters and here, the wind hit me on Friday in Augusta and I have not adapted well at all here.”
“I felt pretty uncomfortable on some shots and that four-hole stretch cost me the win.”
After missing a shot on the third hole, McIlroy suffered a triple bogey on the fourth hole after failing to get his ball more than a few feet out of the thick rough, missing the green on his fourth hole and then chipping into a greenside bunker.
Further shots were made on the fifth and sixth holes before conditions eased somewhat and McIlroy caught up on seven consecutive pars with a birdie on the 14th hole after holing out of a greenside bunker on the green.
McIlroy could only laugh at that point and did the same on the 16th hole after hitting himself in the face with his club as he tried to hit it in the air after a violent approach shot on the par 5.
“I feel like I say this at every Open Championship, but it's not like we only play four events a year,” McIlroy added.
“We're playing about 25, so there's still a lot to win. Of course, the majors are over, but we're refocusing and trying to reposition ourselves for the Olympics, which will be another cool experience, and try to play well there.
“And I'm about to win both [money list] Titles on both sides of the Atlantic, so a lot is still possible before the end of the year.”