Rory McIlroy breaks silence on US Open implosion at Pinehurst

Rory McIlroy has described his US Open collapse as ‘probably the toughest’ day of his career and has withdrawn from this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

Holding a two-shot lead, McIlroy carded three bogeys across the final five holes – missing two putts from a combined distance of seven feet. He fled the course a matter of minutes after Bryson DeChambeau wrapped up victory and announced Monday that he won’t be back at one until next month, in Scotland.

In a statement on social media, McIlroy said: ‘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. 

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‘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 defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.’

The Scottish Open is held on July 11, meaning McIlroy has nearly a month until his next competition. 

The statement on Monday is McIlroy’s first comment since his catastrophic collapse. He fled the course within minutes of DeChambeau wrapping up victory and refused to speak to media. 

And McIlroy’s time away from golf comes amid a turbulent time in his personal life as well.

Last week, on the eve of the US Open, he announced he was calling off the divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll. 

It was only a month ago, before the PGA Championship in May, that McIlroy announced that he and Erica were to split due to their marriage being ‘irretrievably broken’.

But on the Tuesday before the tournament, McIlroy said in a statement: ‘There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game. 

‘Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.’

On Monday, the couple were pictured together for the first time since the divorce was called off. They were seen spending time together with their daughter, Poppy. 

McIlroy was only scheduled to play in this week’s tournament before the Scottish Open on July 11. 

The 35-year-old will follow that event with The Open at Royal Troon – his final chance of the year to end his 10-year Major drought.