Cameron Champ Leads Canadian Open as Rory McIlroy Misses Cut

Rory McIlroy suffered a significant setback at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, shooting an eight-over 78 in the second round, highlighted by a quadruple-bogey eight on the fifth hole, which caused him to miss the cut by a wide margin. This disappointing performance came despite McIlroy entering the tournament as the Masters champion and having recently completed a career Grand Slam. McIlroy struggled notably with a new driver, hitting only four of 14 fairways and dealing with ongoing controversy due to his driver being deemed non-compliant at the PGA Championship, an issue that has affected his confidence and motivation. Meanwhile, American Cameron Champ, who gained entry as an alternate, capitalized on the opportunity by posting consecutive bogey-free rounds and took a two-stroke lead heading into the weekend. Champ's strong play contrasts sharply with McIlroy's struggles, with other competitors like Andrew Putnam also posting impressive bogey-free rounds. McIlroy acknowledged his concerns about his game going into the upcoming US Open, emphasizing the importance of hitting fairways at Oakmont, where he will seek to rebound.