According to Rory McIlroy, he will be taking “a few weeks away” from the game in order to concentrate on where he wants to be in terms of his game and how he will recover from a difficult finish.
After a terrible finish at the US Open, Rory McIlroy has announced he will be taking a break from golf to gather himself.
The 35-year-old declared on social media that he was going to reevaluate following a difficult defeat to Bryson DeChambeau. “It was probably the hardest day I’ve had in my almost 17 years as a professional golfer,” McIlroy said, kicking off the day. “Let me start by congratulating Bryson. He is a deserving champion and the perfect addition to professional golf at this time. On that, I think we can all agree.
“When I look back on my week, I’ll regret a few things that happened during the competition—mostly, the two putts that I missed on the last day on holes 16 and 18. I will, however, focus on the positives of the week, which far outweigh the negatives, as I always try to do. I feel more than ever like I’m going to win my next major championship, as I stated at the beginning of the competition.
“Resilient is the one word I would use to sum up my career. Over the past 17 years, I have repeatedly demonstrated my resilience, and I will do so once more. In order to process everything and get myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon, I’m going to take a few weeks off from the game.
“I’ll see you in Scotland.” After failing to win his first major tournament in ten years, McIlroy made his decision.
Entering the final day at Pinehurst with a two-shot lead over DeChambeau on the thirteenth hole, McIlroy appeared to be on pace to even end his ten-year drought, which has been the talk of the golf world. But the Northern Irishman started playing in an unusual way, as if the moment was starting to wear on him.
McIlroy missed a three-foot putt for par on the 16th hole, his first miss in nearly 500 attempts this season. Just a few holes later, DeChambeau took the lead after his miss, having been able to get closer.
In an attempt to finish strongly on the last hole, McIlroy felt DeChambeau breathing down his neck. The 35-year-old, though, missed the putt and had to settle for the bogey after his tee shot went wide into the grass. He did recover, though, and got his ball within two feet of the hole.
