NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Days after his heartbreaking finish at the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy roamed the streets of Manhattan and the High Line with headphones on, trying to understand and adapt to what had happened in Pinehurst.
The 35-year-old McIlroy missed two short par putts on the final three holes to hand eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau a 69-hole lead. The Northern Irishman quickly drove away without speaking to the media and withdrew from next week’s tournament, speaking for the first time about the difficult finish at a press conference on Wednesday before the Scottish Open.
“It was a good day until it wasn’t,” McIlroy said.
For most of Sunday, McIlroy said he felt like the version of himself he wanted to be back in a major championship. He made a tough putt. He took control of the tournament, going into the 15th hole two shots ahead of DeChambeau. Then he bogeyed the tough 15th and left a four-foot putt on the 16th.
“I vividly remember waiting for my second putt on the 16th hole and starting to feel a little uncomfortable,” McIlroy said.
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He also admitted that he always knew DeChambeau’s ball was one group behind him because of the routing at Pinehurst. “It took me out of my little world a little bit,” he said. Then he had to wait longer for par putts while his playing partner, Patrick Cantlay, hit his shots. “And he can take his time,” McIlroy joked with a smile. He missed the putt and made bogey.
McIlroy’s last major was nearly a decade ago. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“You’re standing there and it’s hard not to think about the future or notice Bryson’s ball before it’s in the fairway,” he said. “But again, it’s up to me to make sure I’m in the right frame of mind. I hit a decent putt on 16, and the green caught it… I probably started straight. Maybe a little left of center, and the green caught it and it was on the left edge. (It) wasn’t a terrible putt, but I definitely had a little bit of anxiety before I hit it.”
On the 18th hole, McIlroy hit a tricky, quick 3-foot par putt that, in retrospect, would have sent the U.S. Open into a playoff. McIlroy once again acknowledged that DeChambeau’s play influenced his decision-making. He knew DeChambeau’s ball was far left of the fairway, leaving the American with a chance of bogeying and McIlroy two-putting to get into the playoff. McIlroy said he had to be careful not to leave the second putt too difficult.
“I knew I had to hit it really softly,” he added. “If one side wasn’t as important, I would have hit it harder.”
McIlroy missed a putt, and DeChambeau got up from a difficult bunker shot to make par and win the tournament. The next day, McIlroy withdrew from the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, but he had plans to stop in Manhattan before that, so he used the trip as a way to stay afloat and recharge.
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He walked around the city and called people he trusted. Other than that, he was alone with his thoughts and found something he wanted to move forward with. In a few days, he had his thoughts moving into the future.
“When I look back on that day, like when I look back on the toughest moments of my career, I hope I can learn a lot from it and use it to my advantage,” McIlroy said. “That’s been a theme throughout my career. I was able to take that tough moment and turn it into something great shortly after.”
Finally, McIlroy was asked if he regretted not talking to the media after the round. He didn’t regret it. “No offense,” McIlroy said with a smile. “You were the last thing on my mind back then.”
(Above photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
