Rory McIlroy choked away US Open lead with brutal missed putt less than three feet from hole
Rory McIlroy will have nightmares about the putts that he missed on Nos. 16 and 18 — with the first one costing him a one-shot lead — at the U.S. Open for years to come.
The devastating putts allowed Bryson DeChambeau the chance to hang with the Northern Irishman and capture his second career major, while McIlroy watched his chance to break his major championship drought slip away.
McIlroy held a one-shot lead on the 16th hole when he lined up for a par putt from inside three feet out, but the star golfer flubbed the shot proving to be one of two costly putting errors during the final four holes of the day.
The crowd reacted in shock, with one fan being picked up by the broadcast repeating “he missed it, he missed it.”
The astonishing moment was made even more painful for McIlroy by the fact that he had not missed a putt from inside three feet in his previous 496 attempts, according to the PGA.
McIlroy’s trouble on the green didn’t stop there as he found himself in a similar situation on the 18th hole with the trophy within reach.
However, the short putt again couldn’t drop and instead rimmed around the edge of the cup and stayed out giving DeChambeau the chance to win the tournament.
McIlroy hasn’t won a major tournament since 2014 when he captured both the PGA Championship and the British Open, and his last U.S. Open win came in 2011.
The golfer did not stay to talk with reporters after the collapse, instead hoping into his tournament-sponsored vehicle and quickly exiting Pinehurst.
Video from multiple reporters showed McIlroy leave the venue hastily, seeming to spin his tires before driving out of the parking lot.
The latest heartbreak on the course for McIlroy comes less than a week after news came out that he and his wife Erica Stoll had called off plans to divorce.
