Rory McIlroy wanted to keep PGA Tour snub secret but was sold out by Open legend

Rory McIlroy aimed a cheeky dig at Nick Faldo after the golf great publicly revealed his recent scouting trip to Royal Birkdale.

The Northern Irishman is gearing up for the fourth and final major of the year, with the Open Championship now just days away.

Getty

Having become only the fourth golfer to claim back-to-back Green Jackets with his Masters victory in April, McIlroy is targeting his second major of the year at the British tournament.

Royal Birkdale is the host venue this year, which last staged the event in 2017 – when the 37-year-old finished tied-fourth.

Rory rumbled

Before McIlroy heads to the North West, he will get his final Open preparations underway at the Scottish Open, which tees off at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick on Thursday.

This will mark the golf star’s return to action for the first time since the US Open, where he finished a disappointing tied-32nd.

And while McIlroy has yet to compete in recent weeks, he may already be a step ahead of his rivals at the upcoming Open Championship, thanks to a recent scouting trip.

The Masters champion decided to skip the Travelers Championship a week after the US Open so he could visit the Southport venue. 

And his reason for swerving the PGA Tour Signature Event may well have remained a secret, if not for the legendary Sir Nick Faldo.

The pair had a chance encounter on the course at Royal Birkdale while Faldo was doing some work for Sky Sports, only for the six-time major winner to then share a video of the run-in on social media, revealing McIlroy’s whereabouts.

‘Faldo couldn’t put his phone away’

Ahead of the Scottish Open, McIlroy cheekily joked that he would have appreciated Faldo keeping their meeting a secret.

He said in a press conference: “Birkdale was definitely just a scouting trip for The Open for sure.

Getty

Getty

“I would have liked to not have it known I was there, but [Sir Nick] Faldo couldn’t put his phone away!

“I love Nick. In fairness, he’s great. I had a good time with him – he walked a few holes with me.”

After stressing the huge respect he holds for Faldo, McIlroy shed some more light on his Open preparations, and gave his initial thoughts on the Birkdale course.

He explained: “Obviously Birkdale is a little bit different from what it was back in 2017.

“Getting an early look at new holes just takes pressure off the start of the week and not feel like you have to play 18 holes any day.

“If you want to just play nine, I feel like you can and not feel like you’re underprepared.”

Getty

McIlroy also revealed he had spent some of his time away from competition with Ryder Cup pals Shane Lowry, Luke Donald and their families, playing some casual golf in Cornwall.

He continued: “Then I played St Enodoc last Friday. We spent four days down in Cornwall with the Donalds and the Lawries.

“I had never heard of it before, and it’s I guess a top hundred course in the world. It’s really cool. But that was more just for enjoyment.

“You’re going out to play, but it’s nice, you start hitting the ball off links turf again and start to play in a little bit more wind.

“Your links instincts come back, even if it is for fun. The stuff that you’ve grown up with starts to come back to you.”

McIlroy’s only taste of Open glory came in 2014, when he triumphed at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and he will now be hoping he can come out on top in Merseyside for a second time at Birkdale.