U.S. Open failure not my worst defeat (McIlroy)
Four-time major champion McIlroy led by two strokes through five holes at last month’s championship, but bogeyed three of the final four holes to allow Bryson DeChambeau to pull off an impressive victory.
He left Pinehurst immediately without speaking to the media, but said he had no regrets and hasn’t played since. “It’s been a long time since I’ve won a major, so it hurt but then I had a couple more losses and it just felt even worse,” said McIlroy, who returns as the defending champion at this week’s Scottish Open. “I felt bad after Augusta in 2011 and even worse after St. Andrews (in 2022). There were big losses, but they weren’t the biggest losses.”
Two years ago at the 150th British Open Championship on the Old Course, Viktor Hovland led by four strokes going into the final round and shot a 2-under 70, but Australia’s Cameron Smith shot a 64 to win the title. He also demonstrated leadership with four shots in the 2011 Masters, but fell to the 80th year, 80, 80 in the final round.
In 2023, Macerla, who finished second in the United States, revised the shortage of three shots at Dechambeyau, a leading two lead, but took a shot of the 15th, 16th and 18th holes. “The short putt on the 16th hole is probably the one I’ll regret the most because it was a pretty easy putt,” acknowledged McIlroy, who last won a major championship in 2014.
“The putt on the 18th hole was pretty tough. I wouldn’t change much about what I did on Sunday on the first 14 holes. This is the best I’ve played at this position in a long, long time. Playing in the group ahead of DeChambeau, McIlroy also admitted he felt uncomfortable in the latter stages of his round because he was “too aware” of what the American was doing behind him.
“The way the course was going made me aware of what he was doing at the same time.
\”So it sort of got me out of my own little world a little bit.
\”The few days after it were pretty tough at times but I\’ve done a good job of thinking about it rationally and constructively, and taking what I need from it and trying to learn from it.\”
McIlroy, who spent \”time alone with my thoughts\” in New York as he mulled over his latest major near-miss, has cut a relaxed figure at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, where he beat Scotland\’s Robert MacIntyre to the title last year. The world number two looked in top form during the intermediate rounds on Wednesday, stopping to take photos and sign autographs between the second and third holes.
But when asked about criticism leveled at his caddie Harry Diamond at the U.S. Open, he offered a strong rebuttal. Player-turned-analyst Smiley Kaufman and former Tiger Woods coach Hank Haney were among those who questioned Diamond’s qualifications.
“They criticize you when it doesn’t go their way, and they never say anything nice when it doesn’t go their way,” said McIlroy, who faces MacIntyre and Hovland in the Scottish Open on Thursday. “Where were they when I won in Dubai last year, or when I won at Quail Hollow, or when I won the two FedEx Cups and the two Ryder Cups that I won with Harry? They weren’t there to say Harry did a great job when I won. But they are there to criticize whenever we don’t win. “They are not there. They are not the ones who strike and make the decisions. Someone once told me, “If you don’t listen to the advice of these people, you’ll never take their criticism seriously.”
“I’m never going to go to Hank Haney for advice. I love Smylie, but I think I know what I\’m doing, and so does Harry.\”
