NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — In the days following his heartbreaking match at the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy put on his headphones and wandered the streets of Manhattan and the High Line, trying to blend in and come to terms with what was going on. What happened in Pinehurst.
McIlroy, 35, missed just two short-par putts over the final three holes, handing the 69-hole lead to eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau. The Northern Irishman left quickly without speaking to the media and withdrew from next week’s tournament, allowing him to speak for the first time about the difficult ending at a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Scottish Open.
“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 always wanted to be back in a major championship. He had a hard time putting. He took control of the match and led DeChambeau by two strokes entering the 15th hole. He then bogeyed the tough 15th hole and left himself a four-foot putt on the 16th hole.
“I distinctly remember starting to feel a little uncomfortable waiting for my second putt on the 16th hole,” McIlroy said.
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He also acknowledged that the nature of Pinehurst’s route meant he always knew DeChambeau’s ball was in a group behind him. “It took me out of my own little world a little bit,” he said. Then, when his partner Patrick Cantlay hit the ball, he had to wait a little longer to make the putt. “He can take his time,” McIlroy joked with a smile. He missed the bogey putt.
McIlroy’s last major was about 10 years ago (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“You stand there and it’s hard not to start thinking about the future or notice before Bryson’s ball goes into the lane or something like that,” he said. “But, it’s my responsibility to make sure I’m in the right headspace. I hit a decent putt on 16 and the green caught it… I probably just started hitting it, maybe a little left of center. , the green caught it, it caught the left edge (it was) not a bad putt, but I did feel a little uneasy before hitting it.
On the 18th, McIlroy made a tricky, fast-breaking three-foot par putt that – in hindsight – would have sent the U.S. Open into a playoff. McIlroy once again admitted he let DeChambeau’s performance influence his decision-making. Since he knew DeChambeau’s ball was on the far left side of the fairway, the American could still make bogey, and McIlroy could two-putt to continue into the playoff. McIlroy said he had to worry about the second putt not being too difficult.
“I knew I had to hit the ball very softly,” he added. “If that hit hadn’t mattered, I would have hit it harder.”
McIlroy missed the putt and DeChambeau rose from a tough bunker shot to reach par and win the tournament. McIlroy withdrew from the Travelers Championship in Connecticut the next day, but because he had a planned stop in Manhattan beforehand, he kept the trip and used it as a way to refuel.
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He walked around the city and called people he trusted. Beyond that, he was left alone to think and find something he wanted to continue working on. Within days, his thoughts turned to the future.
“When I look back on that day, like I look back on the toughest moment of my career, I’m going to learn a lot from it and hopefully make the most of it,” McIlroy said. “That’s been a theme in my career. I’ve been able to take those tough moments and turn them into great things shortly after.
Finally, McIlroy was asked if he regretted not speaking to the media after this round. He didn’t. “No offense,” McIlroy said with a smile, “I was most worried about you at that time.”
(Top photo: Andrew Reddington/Getty Images)
