Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is facing significant challenges as he prepares for the upcoming US Open, following a disappointing performance at the Canadian Open. The 36-year-old golfer missed the cut after finishing nine over par and placing 149th in a 153-man field. McIlroy's struggles were primarily due to issues with a new driver, which he found difficult to control during the tournament.

In his second round, McIlroy shot an eight-over-par 78, highlighting his difficulties in adapting to the new equipment. His previous driver was deemed non-conforming just before last month's US PGA Championship, leading to a 47th-place finish. With a new 44-inch driver in hand, McIlroy managed to hit only 13 of 28 fairways in Toronto and made a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-four fifth hole after a disastrous tee-off.

"Of course it concerns me," McIlroy admitted. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. I came here with a new driver, thinking it would solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. Going into Oakmont next week, hitting fairways is crucial. I'm still searching for the missing piece off the tee. When I get that part of the game clicking, everything falls into place. Right now, that isn't happening, and it's a concern."

With the US Open starting on June 12, McIlroy has limited time to address these issues. The five-time Major winner plans to test several drivers in the coming days to find the right one. "I'm going to have to do a lot of practice and work over the weekend at home to have a better idea of where my game is going into next week," McIlroy said. "I went back to a 44-inch driver this week to try to get more control, but if I'm going to miss fairways, I'd rather have the ball speed and miss the fairway than not. I'll be testing quite a few drivers over the weekend."

McIlroy's recent struggles have been compounded by the 'non-conforming' driver controversy, which has added to his challenges. As he prepares for one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf, all eyes will be on how he overcomes these obstacles and performs at the US Open.