The Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews stands right alongside the 18th fairway, with a gorgeous view of one of the most famous finishing holes in golf. The McIlroy family stayed there all week, and every morning, Rory McIlroy would look out his window and see the imposing yellow scoreboard that loomed over the 18th green.
The banner along the front of the grandstands read EVERYTHING HAS LED TO THIS. For someone who hasn’t won a major in eight years, it seemed like a literal sign that this was his week, that Sunday would be his day.
It wasn’t.