Hoylake is a weird place. If you’ve ever walked the links at Royal Liverpool, you know it doesn’t look like the towering dunes of Birkdale or the postcard-perfect cliffs of Turnberry. It’s flat. It’s exposed. Honestly, it looks like a field where someone accidentally left some flagsticks. But in July 2014, this stretch of turf in Hoylake became the stage for one of the most dominant displays of golf we’ve ever seen. We’re talking about the 2014 British Open golf championship, a tournament that basically cemented Rory McIlroy’s status as the heir apparent to Tiger Woods.
He didn't just win. He led from the first day to the last. Wire-to-wire.
People forget how much pressure was on Rory back then. He was 25. He had the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in his pocket, but the Claret Jug is different. It’s the one every kid from the UK or Ireland grows up hitting plastic balls in the garden dreaming about. And Rory didn't just want it; he looked like he owned the place from the moment he stepped onto the first tee on Thursday morning.
The Week Rory McIlroy Became Untouchable
The weather at a British Open is usually the main character. You expect sideways rain, howling gales, and guys wearing three layers of Gore-Tex just to stay dry. But the 2014 British Open golf event was… pleasant? Mostly. Thursday was actually quite nice, and Rory took full advantage. He opened with a 66. It was clinical. He was hitting these towering iron shots that seemed to ignore the breeze entirely.
When he followed that up with another 66 on Friday, the field started to panic. You could see it in their faces during the post-round interviews. Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson—they were all playing great golf, but they were chasing a ghost. Rory had this "look" that week. You know the one. The swagger. The slightly bouncy walk.
- Thursday: 66 (Leading)
- Friday: 66 (Leading by four)
- Saturday: 68 (Leading by six)
- Sunday: 71 (Winner by two)
Saturday was the turning point. It was the first time in Open history they used a two-tee start for the third round because of a massive storm forecast for the afternoon. It was a weird vibe. Rory struggled a bit in the middle of his round, but then he finished eagle-birdie-eagle. Just like that, a tight race turned into a six-shot cushion. It felt over.
Why the 2014 British Open Golf Result Matters Now
Looking back from over a decade away, that win at Royal Liverpool feels like the peak of the "Rory Era." It’s strange to think he hasn’t won a major since the PGA Championship later that same summer. At the time, if you told a golf fan that Rory would win the 2014 British Open golf title and then go a decade without another major, they’d have called you crazy.
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He joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win three legs of the modern Grand Slam by age 25. That’s the air he was breathing.
But it wasn't just about Rory. 2014 was also the year Sergio Garcia reminded everyone why he’s one of the greatest ball-strikers to ever live. He chased Rory hard on Sunday. There was a moment on the back nine where the lead shrank to two shots. Sergio hit this incredible eagle on the par-5 10th, and for a second, the crowd at Hoylake thought they were going to see one of the greatest collapses—or greatest comebacks—in sports history.
Rory held steady, though. He made a crucial birdie on the 16th that basically iced it. The 71 he shot on Sunday wasn't his best round of the week, but it was exactly what he needed to do. He played "boring" golf when it mattered most, which is honestly the hardest thing to do when the Claret Jug is sitting there on a pedestal.
The Hoylake Setup: A Different Kind of Test
Royal Liverpool isn't a "bomb and gouge" course. Or at least, it’s not supposed to be.
In 2006, Tiger Woods won there by famously hitting only one driver all week. He dissected the course with long irons, avoiding the pot bunkers like they were radioactive. In the 2014 British Open golf tournament, Rory took a different approach. He used his length as a weapon. He flew the ball over the corners of the doglegs and took the bunkers out of play.
- The Fairway Bunkers: They are deep. If you go in one, you’re playing sideways. No exceptions.
- The Internal Out-of-Bounds: Hoylake has these weird areas where if you miss the fairway, you’re not just in the rough—you’re out of the hole.
- The Greens: They weren't lightning fast because of the wind, but they were firm. You had to land the ball short and let it run up.
McIlroy's dad, Gerry, famously won a massive bet that week. He and some friends had put down £400 back when Rory was 15 years old, betting that he would win the British Open before he turned 26. The payout was somewhere around £200,000. Imagine the pressure of knowing your old man has a mortgage-sized bet riding on your 7-iron into the 18th green.
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Rickie Fowler and the "What Ifs"
Rickie Fowler was also right there. 2014 was his "Year of the Top Five." He finished in the top five of all four majors that year, a feat only Tiger and Jack had done before. At the 2014 British Open golf championship, he finished T2 with Sergio.
Rickie played beautifully. He shot 67-67 over the weekend. On almost any other year, that wins you the tournament by three. But he ran into a buzzsaw named Rory. It’s one of those historical footnotes that golfers discuss over drinks—how many majors would Rickie have if he didn't peak at the exact same time Rory was playing like a god?
The Crowd and the Atmosphere
Hoylake fans are knowledgeable. They aren't just there for the Pimm's and the sun. They know the difference between a good shot and a lucky one. When Rory walked down the 18th on Sunday, the noise was deafening. It wasn't just British fans cheering for a "local" boy (Rory is from Northern Ireland, but he’s always been a favorite across the UK). It was the sound of 40,000 people realizing they were watching a generational talent at his absolute zenith.
The winning score was 17-under-par. 271 total.
It’s worth noting that Tiger Woods was in the field that week too. It was his first major back after back surgery. He made the cut on the number but finished way down the leaderboard. It felt like a changing of the guard. The "Tiger Era" was fading into the "Rory Era," even if that transition didn't turn out exactly how we expected over the next decade.
Misconceptions About the 2014 Win
A lot of people think Rory coasted on Sunday. He didn't.
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As mentioned, Sergio got within two. If Rory hadn't made a gutsy par save on the 13th, things could have gotten very ugly. The 2014 British Open golf victory was a test of mental fortitude as much as physical skill. People call Rory a "front runner," implying he can only win when he’s leading by a lot. While the lead was big, maintaining it at a place like Hoylake where a double-bogey is always one bad bounce away is incredibly stressful.
Also, people talk about the course being "easy" because the scores were low. It wasn't easy. The R&A (the guys who run the tournament) set the course up fairly because they were worried about the wind. When the wind didn't show up in the way they expected, the best players in the world tore it apart.
Lessons for Your Own Game
You probably aren't going to hit 330-yard drives like 2014 Rory. Sorry. But there are things you can take from how that 2014 British Open golf tournament was played.
- Commit to the shot: Rory’s caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald, kept him focused on "targets." They weren't playing against Sergio; they were playing against the course.
- Embrace the elements: When the rain did come on Saturday, Rory didn't complain. he put his hood up and kept swinging.
- Putting is about speed: On the slower, fatter greens of a links course, Rory focused on distance control rather than perfect lines.
If you’re planning a golf trip to the UK, Hoylake is a must-play. It’s a public-ish club (you can book tee times if you have a decent handicap), and walking those same fairways gives you a massive appreciation for how narrow they actually are. When you stand on the 17th tee—the famous "Alps" hole—you realize just how much nerve it took for Rory to fire at those pins.
What to Watch for Next
If you want to dive deeper into this specific moment in golf history, look for the official film of the 143rd Open Championship. It captures the sound of the wind and the specific "thud" of Rory’s drives in a way that the live broadcast sometimes missed.
Also, keep an eye on the schedule for when the Open returns to Royal Liverpool. The course has been renovated since 2014 (they added a brand new par-3 17th hole that is absolutely terrifying). Comparing the 2014 British Open golf scores to future events at Hoylake shows just how much the equipment and the players have evolved.
To truly understand the legacy of 2014, you have to look at the trophy itself. The Claret Jug has the names of legends on it. In 2014, Rory McIlroy didn't just add his name; he proved he belonged in the conversation of the greatest to ever play the game. Whether he wins another one or not, that week in July was his masterpiece.
Actionable Insights for Golf Fans:
- Study the 2014 Highlights: Watch the YouTube "Official Film" of the 2014 Open. Pay attention to Rory's ball flight on the par-5s; he uses a "stinger" draw that is perfect for links golf.
- Visit Royal Liverpool: If you play, book a round at Hoylake. It is one of the more accessible "Open Rotation" courses.
- Track the Odds: When Rory returns to links courses, look at his "Strokes Gained: Off the Tee" stats. If he's leading that category, he's almost always in contention, just like in 2014.
- Read "The Second Life of Tiger Woods": This book by Michael Bamberger gives great context on the 2014 season and the shift in power between Woods and the younger generation.