Rory McIlroy, in a surprising move, chose not to follow his own advice on the 72nd hole at this week's U.S. Open, resulting in a heartbreaking loss by a single shot to Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy had set himself up perfectly for his first major championship win since 2014, having established a two-shot lead with just five holes remaining at Pinehurst No. 2.
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However, it turned into a final stretch he'd rather forget, after bogeying the 15th and 16th - including a missed putt from less than three-feet. Despite the shaky performance, the Northern Irishman - who was a group ahead of DeChambeau - was still tied for the lead at six-under with one hole left when he approached the 18th tee box.
To much surprise, McIlroy decided to use a driver at the last, something he hadn't done in the previous three rounds, using a three-wood instead. The subsequent drive veered left, leaving the 35-year-old in a difficult position in the Pinehurst rough.
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McIlroy was compelled to punch his effort out of the native area down the left, which left him short of the green. He then played a solid chip shot onto the putting surface, leaving him just under six-feet for par.
Having missed a short one two holes earlier, history repeated itself at 18, costing him dearly. DeChambeau managed to secure the trophy with a remarkable bunker shot, unlike McIlroy who missed two short putts and may regret his 18th tee shot.
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Earlier in the week, the PGA Tour star confessed his strategy was to play 'boring golf' to secure his fifth major championship. "Honestly, embracing what I would have called ‘boring’ back in the day," the 2011 U.S. Open champion said in the build-up.
"Explosiveness isn't going to win a U.S. Open. It's more methodically building your score over the course of four days and being okay with that. Honestly, it's just more of a reframing of a mindset than anything else."
After watching DeChambeau's winning putt, McIlroy appeared visibly disappointed when signing for his card. In the aftermath, the four-time major champion chose to skip all media duties, making a swift exit from the Pinehurst site. He will need to recover quickly, having committed to compete in next week's Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
