HOYLAKE, England -- Rory McIlroy won a Claret Jug the last time the Open Championship was played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, in 2014.
Three weeks later, McIlroy, then 25, won his fourth major at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. It seemed like he would just keep piling up major championship trophies.
McIlroy, now 34, hasn't won one since.
He'll try to end a nearly nine-year drought without a major championship victory when The Open returns to Royal Liverpool Golf Club this week. The Northern Irishman was already a heavy betting favorite to win, and now the expectations surrounding him will only be higher after he carded birdies on the final two holes to win the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday.