Rory McIlroy says he no longer thinks about what happened at Muirfield in 2013 and would not let that week shape how he feels about the course today.
That Open Championship remains one of the roughest stretches of his career. McIlroy missed the cut after shooting 12 over across two rounds and later admitted he felt completely out of sorts both mentally and with his game.
More than a decade later McIlroy insists that chapter no longer defines his relationship with the course.
“I’ve won an Open since then,” he said while speaking at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. “2013 feels like a lifetime ago.”
He also made it clear that Muirfield, despite his history there, is still a venue he rates highly. The course has not hosted The Open since that year but McIlroy believes it remains worthy of a return.
When asked about possible future venues, including Muirfield and Royal Lytham, he suggested a quick return to England’s northwest coast was unlikely northwest coast but felt Muirfield’s case was stronger.
“Muirfield, they obviously rectified the issues that they had,” he said referencing the club’s 2017 decision to allow women members which removed a major barrier to hosting.
He also acknowledged that tradition alone is no longer enough when it comes to Open venues.
“It’s one of the best courses on the rota and in the UK,” he said. “But I think it has to commercially make sense. I think (new R&A chief executive) Mark Darbon has been brought in to make The Open Championship commercially viable.”
Crowd size remains one of the sticking points. About 142,000 spectators attended the Open the last time it was held at Muirfield in 2013. In recent years that number has climbed closer to 250,000. Any return would likely depend on whether the venue can cope with that scale.
Even so McIlroy made it clear he sees Muirfield as a course that still belongs in the Open conversation.
That remains the biggest challenge. Around 142,000 fans attended the Open the last time it was held at Muirfield in 2013. Recent editions have drawn crowds closer to 250,000, a jump that would require significant logistical planning.
Still McIlroy’s comments made one thing clear. Whatever happened there in 2013, he no longer sees Muirfield through that lens.
Rory McIlroy targets another U.S. Open win
Rory McIlroy has already set his next major target after completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters last year. He wants to win the U.S. Open again.
McIlroy spoke about it on the Five Clubs podcast with Gary Williams in December 2025. He said his 2011 U.S. Open win came under conditions that did not feel like a traditional U.S. Open test.
“I won a US Open very early on in my career.That in all honesty felt more like a PGA Championship in the way the setup was. I would love to win a US Open in what we would consider typical US Open conditions,” McIlroy said
He added that coming close in recent years has only increased his motivation. McIlroy pointed to his performances at Los Angeles Country Club and Pinehurst as proof that he can still handle difficult setups.
He also said he is looking forward to playing at Shinnecock Hills which he considers as one of his favorite courses.
Last year’s U.S. Open was held at Oakmont where JJ Spaun won the title as the only player to finish under par. McIlroy finished tied for 19th but said his focus remains on getting another chance to win the championship under its toughest conditions.
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