Rory McIlroy admits it is going to take something special to end the recent dominance of the majors by American golfers as the British Open tees off at Carnoustie in Scotland on Thursday. Now 29, McIlroy is aiming to end a four-year drought without a major victory but the trend is towards the strong contingent from the United States maintaining a firm grip on the sport's biggest prizes. The last five majors -- and seven of the last nine -- have been won by Americans, including Jordan Spieth's victory at Royal Birkdale 12 months ago and Brooks Koepka's successful recent defence of the US Open.

"There's so many great players, and it just seems like, at this point in time, they're all playing really good golf at the same time," said McIlroy, the 2014 Open champion, on Wednesday. "They're some of the best players in the world and deservedly so, and they're going to take some beating," added McIlroy, who made his major debut as an amateur here 11 years ago.