Rory McIlroy, a professional golfer, experienced a disappointing finish at the US Open tournament held at Pinehurst. McIlroy had been leading by two shots with five holes remaining but missed crucial putts on holes 16 and 18, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to take the lead and ultimately win the championship. McIlroy left Pinehurst immediately after DeChambeau's winning putt without congratulating him. This was a significant setback for McIlroy, who has been trying to win his first major title in 10 years.
McIlroy had missed only one putt from within three feet on the PGA Tour in 2024 prior to this tournament. His putting coach, Brad Faxon, expressed doubts about McIlroy's ability to win another major championship after this defeat. McIlroy will take a few weeks off from golf to process the loss and prepare for his defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.
The US Open tournament saw several other notable performances. Xander Schauffele finished second, one shot behind DeChambeau. Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Ìberg, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Sahith Theegala, and Max Homa also made appearances in the top 10.
McIlroy has a history of top-20 finishes at the Travelers Championship with a best finish of T7 last year. He will be the defending champion at next month's Genesis Scottish Open.
Despite this setback, McIlroy remains optimistic and resilient. He reflected on his week, acknowledging that there were positives that outweighed the negatives. McIlroy is known for his ability to bounce back from disappointments and will continue to work towards winning another major championship.