A competitor of Rory McIlroy has talked about his disappointment over losing to Bryson DeChambeau in the US Open.
Putting light on the late US Open misses that left the LIV Golf star “absolutely burned,” Jon Rahm has defended Rory McIlroy. In his final few holes at Pinehurst, the Northern Ireland ace missed two short putts, which gave Bryson DeChambeau the opportunity to win his second Major championship.
Distraught, McIlroy was forced to watch as his hopes of salvaging his chances in a playoff were scuppered by an incredible sand-save from his American rival. Shortly after his suffering was made public, he quit the course, turned down interviews, and announced his intention to take a hiatus from the sport.
However, Rahm has stood up for McIlroy in the face of some harsh criticism. He expressed his dissatisfaction at the widespread response to the excruciating near-miss, believing that the difficulty of the 35-year-old’scostlyputt on the 18th hole was “severely underplayed” in the media. He also understood why McIlroy was unable to cross the finish line.
Before a LIV Golf event in Nashville, Rahm stated, “One of the things that absolutely burned me, and I think it was (NBC’s) Smylie (Kaufman) who said it, he severely underplayed how difficult Rory’s putt on 18 was.”
“Because of the amount of slope, if you hit that putt left-center and miss the hole, you’re off the green,” he said in reference to the putt. Rory was aiming at least a cup left from three feet away, as you could see. They drastically underestimated the difficulty of that putt. harshly.
“I think it happens sometimes that it’s hard to really describe how difficult the golf course can be unless you’ve been there and you’re playing it or you’ve played it, and a lot of times they only have those five seconds to say something quickly, so I also don’t blame them.”
Rahm, who suffered a foot infection and missed the tournament, declined to hold McIlroy accountable for his excruciating misses. McIlroy is expected to make a comeback at the Scottish Open next month.
McIlroy, who recently filed for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll only to later reverse his decision the night of the US Open, is going through a difficult period in his life and has acknowledged that he needs to take a break from golf for the time being.
“I intend to take a few weeks off from the game in order to gather my thoughts and prepare myself for my upcoming defenses at The Open at Royal Troon and the Genesis Scottish Open,” he posted on social media.
“It was probably the hardest day I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer,” the player said of yesterday. I want to 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, mainly the two putts that I missed on the last day on holes 16 and 18. However, I will focus on the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives, as I always try to do.
