Rory McIlroy will remember for years to come the nightmares of missed putts on the 16th and 18th holes at the U.S. Open – the first of which cost him a one-stroke lead.
A devastating putt put Bryson DeChambeau on par with the Northern Irishman and with a chance to win his second career major title, while McIlroy watched as his chance to end his major win drought was missed.
McIlroy was leading by one stroke when he attempted a par putt from inside 3 feet on the 16th hole, but the star golfer misplayed the shot, one of two costly putting errors in the final four holes of the day.
The crowd reacted in shock, with one fan repeating on the broadcast: “He missed it, he missed it.”
The incredible moment was made all the more painful for McIlroy by the fact that he had never missed a putt within three feet in his previous 496 attempts. According to the P.G.A..
McIlroy’s struggles on the greens didn’t end there, as he found himself in a similar situation on the 18th hole, when the trophy was within reach.
However, the short putt again didn’t fall, instead going around the edge of the cup and missing, giving DeChambeau a chance to win the tournament.
McIlroy has not won a major tournament since winning both the PGA Championship and the British Open in 2014, and his last U.S. Open victory was in 2011.
After the collapse, the golfer hopped into a tournament sponsor’s car instead of speaking to reporters. We left Pinehurst in a hurry.
Video footage taken by multiple reporters showed McIlroy leaving the venue in a hurry and appearing to spin his tires before driving out of the parking lot.
The latest on-course heartbreak for McIlroy comes less than a week after news broke that he and wife Erica Stoll had called off plans to divorce.
