Critics continue to believe Rory McIlroy was forced to make that putt in the final moments of his dramatic collapse at the U.S. Open last week.
But LIV Golf star Jon Rahm defended McIlroy and criticized the tournament’s golf announcers, who he believes “grossly underestimated” the difficulties McIlroy faced with the putt on the 18th hole that lost the tournament.
Ram said: Sports Illustrated There, he candidly stated that the announcers had not made things worse.
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Jon Rahm of Spain and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland shake hands on the 18th green after the opening round of the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 16, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
“One of the things that really pissed me off was, I think (NBC’s) Smiley (Kaufman) said, he grossly underestimated how difficult Rory’s putt was on the 18th hole,” said Rahm, who sat out the U.S. Open because of a foot infection.
“He said it was a center-left putt, but if you hit that putt center-left and miss the hole, it’s so steep it’s off the green. You could see Rory going from 3 feet to at least a cup left. They grossly underestimated how hard that putt was. Grossly.”
But at the same time, Rahm knew his course description couldn’t be very detailed, given that he and his team hadn’t actually played the course.
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“I think that happens a few times because it’s hard to really explain how difficult a golf course is unless you’ve been there and played on one, and a lot of times they only have five seconds to communicate something quickly, so I don’t blame them either.”
But if a commentator said it was a three-foot putt to center left, golf fans would expect it to fall 100 times out of 100. Instead, McIlroy’s putt curved right and missed the edge.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after finishing the 18th hole during the final round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 16, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
It was his third bogey in four holes and he missed another short putt on the 16th hole.
McIlroy said he was taking a break from golf after losing by one stroke to Bryson DeChambeau on the second hole at Pinehurst.
“Yesterday was a tough day, perhaps the toughest day in my 17 years as a professional golfer. First, I want to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that,” McIlroy said in a statement.
“Looking back on this week, I have some regrets throughout the tournament, particularly missing two putts on the final day on the 16th and 18th holes, but as always, I’m going to focus on how the good things this week far outweigh the bad things.”
Legion XIIIGC captain Jon Rahm hits from the sixth tee during the final round of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Doral, Florida. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via The Associated Press)
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“I’m taking a few weeks off to sort everything out and recover before the Genesis Scottish Open and my British Open defence at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”
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