Is it better for a person to pray in the farther mosque where he misses one or two rak'ahs, or in the closer mosque where he catches the entire prayer?

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen preferred that it is better to pray in the closest mosque, for the sake of its upkeep and fostering unity among hearts, except in Mecca and Medina, where it is better to pray in the Two Holy Mosques. Preferring a more distant mosque is only if there is no closer mosque available, and the hardship involved increases the reward. Furthermore, catching the opening takbeer (takbeerat al-ihram) and the first unit (rak'ah) in the closest mosque is better than missing them by going to a more distant mosque.