Rory McIlroy's U.S. Open drought continues: What went wrong? Can he win another major? | Golf News

Rory McIlroy's pre-tournament prediction that he was “closer than ever” to ending his major championship drought came true at the U.S. Open, although it was still not enough to give him a hard-earned victory.

McIlroy stood on the 14th tee at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday, two shots ahead of overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau and in prime position to win his first major championship in 3,598 days, but less than 90 minutes later he was off the course with victory just a whisker away.

The Northern Irishman failed to get up from off the green on the par-3 15th for par, then inexplicably missed a putt from three feet on the next hole, the first time he had missed a putt from that distance in 497 attempts all season, and back-to-back bogeys put him back in a tie for the lead.

McIlroy, who mishit his tee shot on the final tee and failed to hole a par putt from less than four feet to drop to five under, watched in disbelief as DeChambeau won in dramatic fashion.

McIlroy's most recent absence from a major was his second straight runner-up finish at the U.S. Open, marking his sixth consecutive top-10 finish without success. The former world number one is still seeking his fifth major championship victory and first since the 2014 PGA Championship.

McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in 21 majors since winning by one shot at Valhalla, and he has never been closer to returning to the winner's circle than this time, which has stopped him in just four majors total in the past decade.

McIlroy was visibly frustrated, refusing to speak to the media afterward and walking off the course before DeChambeau could hoist the U.S. Open trophy for a second time, a heartbreak that heightened doubts about when — or if — he could win another major championship.

Did McIlroy struggle under the pressure?

Six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo feared his latest major defeat could “haunt McIlroy for the rest of his life” after McIlroy's hopes were dashed when he made three bogeys on his final four holes of the final.

“Nobody has been under more pressure than him in the last 10 years,” McIlroy's putting coach Brad Faxon said on Golf Channel. “Everybody in the world knows he hasn't won a major since 2014. I think that's why it happened; the short putt on 16, the miss on 18 for sure. I don't know how you get through that. It's really hard.”

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley added: “The element of doubt set in. He started to pull back, which he had never done before. He took longer to putt, which he had never done before. It was pressure and he succumbed.

“(It's) a devastating loss for any player, not just Rory. It's absolutely devastating. Rory didn't play well down the stretch.”

Is it the same story again for McIlroy?

McIlroy finished runner-up in North Carolina and finished second to Wyndham Clark in Los Angeles 12 months ago, and the 35-year-old also led the final day of the 2022 British Open before finishing third at St Andrews.

“He had opportunities to win three majors in the last two years, and he didn't miss them because he didn't swing right,” McGinley told Golf Channel. “He missed them because he was too slow with his putter and when he had his opportunities, he didn't take advantage.”

“He came back one over par last year at the U.S. Open. You saw him at Quail Hollow. [Wells Fargo Championship] He just takes his chance, seizes it, runs the distance, kills his opponent and wins.

“He knows how to do it, and his golf skills are good enough to beat his opponents and win the tournament. The difference in the majors is that when the initiative is in front of him, he doesn't run away.”

What did McIlroy do wrong?

McIlroy hit a seven-iron on the par-3 15th that went wide of the green, leading to bogey, then three-putted on the 16th and had to fight out of a bunker on the 17th for par to set up a tight final hole.

The 2011 U.S. Open champion hit a driver on the 18th hole after hitting a 3-wood the day before, but the ball landed in thick rough and in a bad position, causing him to miss the green in regulation. He hit a precise chip shot from in front of the green, but then failed to putt into the green and failed to maintain his lead.

“He didn't play badly, he just missed a couple of putts – that was a hard fact for him to accept,” said Dame Laura Davis, a four-time major champion. “He probably hit the wrong club on 15 and that was the root of the problem. The miss on 16 was puzzling, but the miss on 18 I don't think was necessarily a bad putt.”

“People will remember his two putts, but he played incredible golf and was four under at one point. He can bounce back again.”

Coltart added: “Wayne Riley once again pointed out why he hit driver on his final tee shot. It's the most important shot and could change his career, but he has to find the fairway.

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“Only 13 bogeys on that hole all day, so it wasn't the hardest hole to play if he could hit the fairway. For some reason he wanted to use driver and apparently he felt that gave him the best chance and the rest is history.”

What's the reason for McIlroy's optimism?

McIlroy has won three times this season, at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, and back-to-back PGA Tour titles at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Wells Fargo Championship, and once again moved ahead of Xander Schauffele for second in the world.

In 2011, McIlroy squandered a four-shot lead on the final day of the Masters, but bounced back in impressive fashion at the next major, winning from start to finish at the U.S. Open and claiming his first major championship.

McIlroy will hope to have the same resolve when he heads to Royal Troon for the British Open next month, a venue where he tied for fifth in 2016 and has finished lower than sixth in six of his last eight appearances in the event.

If McIlroy wins, he will break the longest gap between a fourth and fifth major title previously held by Peter Thompson (seven years), but if he fails to win, McIlroy's major championship drought will extend into next season.

McIlroy will have a chance to complete the career Grand Slam again at the Masters next April, and the 2025 PGA Championship will be held at Quail Hollow, where he won his first PGA Tour title and four times at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The U.S. Open returns to Oakmont for the first time since 2016, while the British Open returns to Royal Portrush, where McIlroy battled for a 79 in the opening round in 2019 and then broke down in tears after failing to make the cut on home soil.

Sir Henry Cotton, Julius Boros, Hale Irwin and Ben Crenshaw all waited 11 years for a major victory, while Tiger Woods ended a similarly long drought by winning his 15th major title by one shot at the 2019 Masters.

If McIlroy leaves Northern Ireland next July without having won a major, any future success he has will result in the longest gap between major championships in history. If he doesn't cross the line soon, the scars from the majors will only get deeper.

Watch Rory McIlroy live on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour this season on Sky Sports. The 152nd Open at Royal Troon will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf from July 18-21. Watch the PGA Tour, Majors and more with NOW.