NORTH BERWICK, Scotland – In the days after his heartbreaking finish at the US Open, Rory McIlroy put on his headphones and wandered the streets of Manhattan and the High Line in an attempt to blend in and come to terms with what was happening in Pinehurst had happened.
McIlroy, 35, had just missed two short par putts on the final three holes, giving the 69-hole lead to eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau. The Northern Irishman quickly pulled away without speaking to the media and withdrew from next week’s tournament, making his press conference on Wednesday before the Scottish Open the first to mention the difficult finish.
“It was a great day until it wasn’t,” McIlroy said.
For much of that Sunday, McIlroy said he felt like the version of himself he had wanted to return to at major championships. He made hard putts. He took control of the tournament, entering the 15th hole with a two-shot lead over DeChambeau. He then bogeyed the difficult 15th hole, leaving a four-foot putt on 16.
“I vividly remember starting to feel a little uncomfortable waiting for my second putt on 16,” McIlroy said.
GO DEEPER
Rory McIlroy and the US Open, he will never escape – even if he tried
He also recognized that the nature of Pinehurst’s routing meant he was always aware of where DeChambeau’s ball was one group behind him. “It took me out of my own world a little bit,” he said. He then had to wait longer for the par putt because playing partner Patrick Cantlay played his shot. “And he can take his time,” McIlroy joked, smiling. He missed the putt for bogey.
McIlroy’s last major came almost 10 years ago (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“When you’re standing there, it’s hard not to think about the future or notice before Bryson’s ball is in the fairway or things like that,” he said. “But again, it’s up to me to make sure I’m in the right headspace. I hit a decent putt on 16, the green took it… I probably started it straight, maybe a little left of center, and the green took it and it caught the left edge. (It) wasn’t a terrible putt, but I definitely felt a little uncomfortable before I hit it.
On 18, McIlroy had a tricky, fast-breaking three-foot par putt that – in retrospect – would have sent the US Open to a play-off. Once again, McIlroy accepted that he let DeChambeau’s play influence his decision-making. Knowing that DeChambau’s ball was far left of the fairway, there remained a chance that the American could make bogey and McIlroy could two-putt to still make a play-off. McIlroy said he had to worry about leaving a second putt that was too difficult.
“I knew I had to hit it very softly,” he added. “If that one back hadn’t mattered, I would have hit him harder.”
McIlroy missed the putt and DeChambeau rose from a difficult bunker shot to par and won the tournament. The next day, McIlroy withdrew from the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, but with plans to stop in Manhattan beforehand, he kept that trip and used it as a way to refuel.
GO DEEPER
2024 Genesis Scottish Open odds, DFS picks: Morikawa, Min Woo Lee, I’m one of our picks
He walked around town calling people he trusted. Furthermore, he was alone with his thoughts and found things he wanted to work on in the future. Within a few days he shifted his thoughts to the future.
“When I look back on that day, just like I look back on some of my toughest moments in my career, I will learn a lot from it and hopefully put it to good use,” McIlroy said. “It’s something that’s been a bit of a theme throughout my career. I was able to turn those difficult moments into great things, not long after.”
Finally, McIlroy was asked if he regrets not speaking to the media after the round. He didn’t. “No offense,” McIlroy said with a smile, “you were the last of my worries at that moment.”
(Top photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)