At the US Open, Rory McIlroy’s attempt to win a fifth major championship was unsuccessful, and the Northern Irishman received a harsh critique from his former coach, Hank Haney.
Rory McIlroy’s close call at the US Open has drawn criticism from Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney. At Pinehurst No. 2, the Northern Irishman experienced a devastating ending.
With five holes remaining on Sunday in North Carolina, McIlroy was ahead of Bryson DeChambeau by two strokes. But three bogeys in four holes proved to be expensive.
Two agonizing short-range misses marred his wobbly finish; the first one happened on the sixteenth hole.
McIlroy had performed admirably on the greens all week. However, he was taken aback on the sixteenth hole when his putt from less than three feet missed the hole. It was the first time this season that he had missed the hole from that distance after making 496 attempts before.
McIlroy was playing in the group behind DeChambeau as he neared the last hole, and the two were tied. Choosing to play driver off the 18th tee box, McIlroy found himself with a challenging lie for his second shot after his shot veered left and ended up in the punishing Pinehurst rough.
McIlroy, forced to play it safe, took aim at the front of the green and then made an amazing chip to get close enough for a par putt. But when he mishit the left-to-right breaker, bringing back the ghosts of two previous holes, he made a heartbreaking bogey.
Shortly afterward, Bryson DeChambeau encountered difficulties off the tee but succeeded in making a fantastic bunker shot for par, winning his second US Open championship. After winning, everyone praised DeChambeau for his brilliant play, but Rory McIlroy was questioned about his strategy, especially after he mishit the green on the par-three 15th and the 18th.
When commenting on McIlroy’s performance, golf coach Hank Haney identified a poor club choice as the root of his problems. “Improper club, poor shot, poor strategy,” Haney wrote on Twitter. He had earlier expressed some empathy for the four-time major winner, recognizing the difficulties in completing the deal on championship Sunday.
“Players with two or more major victories have won one out of every three times they were in serious contention, which is defined as being in the lead or tied for the lead somewhere on Sunday,” according to Haney. “@McIlroyRory’s hard game made it far from certain that he would win the US Open.”
After a gutted McIlroy left Pinehurst quickly after DeChambeau’s winning putt, avoiding interviews with the media. But the following day, the Northern Irish golfer announced a break until the Scottish Open, where he will be defending his title, on social media while congratulating his opponent at LIV Golf.
“It was probably the worst day I’ve ever had in my almost 17 years as a professional golfer,” he wrote. “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. I’ll regret a few things from the tournament as I look back on my week, mainly the two putts I missed on the last day on holes 16 and 18.
“But I’ll 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.”
“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.
