McIlroy to take a few weeks off after ‘toughest’ day

Rory McIlroy will take “a few weeks away from the game to process everything” after his gut-wrenching final round of the US Open.

The Irishman missed two short putts in the closing stages at Pinehurst on Sunday to see a first major title in 10 years agonisingly slip away.

McIlroy stormed off the course without fulfilling media duties after blowing a two-shot lead with five to play and handing victory to Bryson DeChambeau.

McIlroy, who was clearly disconsolate after extending his 10-year wait for an elusive fifth major, has withdrawn from this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

He posted on X on Monday evening: “Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.

“Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.

“As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.

“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have.

“The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.

“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”

McIlroy was in mid-air on his plane home within an hour of signing his card at the end of his gut-wrenching round, and how long it takes him to get over the disappointment remains to be seen.

In 20 previous top-10 finishes in major championships since his last victory in the 2014 US PGA, McIlroy has never had the title within his grasp with just a handful of holes to play in the manner that he did on Sunday.

McIlroy is the first player to finish in the top 10 at six consecutive US Opens since Jack Nicklaus from 1977-82 and the first to do so without winning any of them since Jack Hobens from 1905-10.

“Nobody’s had more pressure on him over the last 10 years,” McIlroy’s putting coach Brad Faxon said on Golf Channel.

“Everybody in the world knows he hasn’t won a major since 2014.

“I think it’s the way this happened; the short missed putts there on 16, certainly on 18. I don’t know how you get through this thing. It’s really tough.”

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley added: “That element of doubt came in.

“He started backing away, which he never does. He took a little more time over the putts, which he never does. That’s pressure and he succumbed to it.

“(It’s) a devastating loss for any player, not just Rory. It’s absolutely devastating. Rory has faltered coming down the stretch.”

“I made the choices that I made and there’s consequences to that and I respect it” – Bryson DeChambeau

Meanwhile, DeChambeau, who gathered chants of “U.S.A, U.S.A!” en route to his triumph, said today that he is frustrated that he will not be competing at the Paris Olympics but accepts that his move to LIV Golf ultimately cost him that chance.

DeChambeau, a fan favourite all week in North Carolina, does not earn ranking points from his LIV Golf events and so fell short of making the U.S. team.

“Hopefully one day this game of golf will get figured out and come back together and I will be able to play (in the Olympics),” world number 10 DeChambeau said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee show.

“I’m playing great golf, I’m excited, but ultimately yeah, am I frustrated and disappointed? Sure, you could absolutely say that. But I made the choices that I made and there’s consequences to that and I respect it.”

The men’s field for the 1-4 August Olympic men’s golf event will feature 60 players. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country.

Beyond the top 15, players are eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.

Currently Scottie Scheffler (1), Xander Schauffele (3), Wyndham Clark (5) and Collin Morikawa (7) are the four highest Americans in the ranking followed by Patrick Cantlay (8).

In March, LIV Golf announced that it had formally withdrawn its application to have players receive world ranking points from its tournaments after the OWGR earlier rejected its bid due to concerns about the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit’s format.

DeChambeau, who has embraced his role as golf’s showman, joined the rebel circuit two years ago and has maintained a lofty spot in the rankings through his results at the majors, which allow LIV players so long as they meet the qualifying criteria.

Talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi backers of LIV Golf regarding a potential deal have accelerated in recent months, and DeChambeau is hopeful some sort of agreement between the rival circuits will soon come.

“Hopefully sooner rather than later we figure that out so this great game of golf we can get past all of that and move forward and show how awesome this sport actually is around the world,” said DeChambeau.