Rory McIlroy is feeling the pressure as he heads into the upcoming US Open, especially after a troubling miss at the Canadian Open where he shot a disappointing 78. McIlroy’s lackluster second round featured a quadruple bogey, a double bogey, and four additional bogeys, leaving him a staggering 21 shots behind the leader, Cameron Champ, who dominated at 12 under.

This marks a significant low for the world No. 2, as it’s his first missed cut since last year’s Open at Royal Troon. His performance has raised alarms, especially considering his rough transition to a new driver after his previous one was disqualified just before last month’s US PGA Championship, where he finished a lackluster T-47.

McIlroy expressed his concern candidly on the PGA website, stating, "You don’t want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. I came here with a new driver, hoping to resolve some issues off the tee, but it didn’t work out as planned." He knows that Oakmont will require pinpoint accuracy, saying, "What you need more than anything is to hit fairways. I’m still searching for that missing piece of my game. Once I find it, everything else tends to come together."

Thursday’s struggles set the stage for a rough outing. After starting with a one-over par, his day spiraled out of control at the fifth hole when he hit an eight, sending his second shot out of bounds. His misfortune continued, with bogeys on the eighth, tenth, and a double on the eleventh, before he managed to salvage some pride with birdies on the 15th and the final hole.

McIlroy remains optimistic, revealing, "Even though the last two days didn’t go the way I wanted, there are still lessons to learn. I’ll be putting in a significant amount of practice this weekend to ensure I’m in a better position by the time the US Open arrives." With his championship aspirations now on the line, the golf world will be watching closely to see if McIlroy can bounce back and reclaim his form.