Rory McIlroy Breaks Silence on U.S. Open Putt: ‘It Was a Tough Day’

Rory McIlroy has broken his silence on the putt at the U.S. Open, which cost him his first Major Championship in ten years.

McIlroy held a multiple-shot lead going into the final four holes, but two costly misses on short putts on both the 16th and 18th ultimately became the deciding factor. Bryson DeChambeau capitalized and took home the trophy, winning his second U.S. Open crown.

After the tournament, McIlroy released a short, written statement that explained he would be stepping away from golf for a few weeks in preparation for the European swing, which has now arrived.

Of course, in his first public appearance since Pinehurst, McIlroy was asked about *that* putt, how he’s handled the disappointment, and how the entire thing went in his head:

On the Putt:

“The putt on the last was a very tricky putt, but I was very aware of where Bryson was off the tee. So I knew I had to hit it really soft. If the one back didn’t matter, I would have hit it firmer maybe, but because I was sort of into my own mind; I didn’t know if Bryson was going to make a par or not, it was one of those ones where I just had to…had to make sure that if the putt didn’t go in that it wasn’t going ten feet by, which it very easily could have.”

On the Chip Prior:

“I just left it on the wrong side of the hole. I got above the hole. Where the hole was cut was on top of the little slope, it ended up pretty dry and crusty around the hole. And the chip shot just ran out a little bit and got past the hole. So it was I hit that putt very, very easy, and obviously just missed on the low side, and it still went a good three or four feet by.”

On How He Read the Putt:

“So I was probably playing it, I don’t know, like two, two, and a half cups left, whatever it was, three and a half foot putt. There was a lot of swing to it, especially with how easy I was hitting it. Like I said, if it was match play and the next one didn’t matter I would have approached the putt differently. But knowing that Bryson had hit it left off the tee, I just sort of wanted to make sure that if there was still a chance at a playoff, that it was at least going to be that.”

A portion of McIlroy’s media visit on Wednesday is available below:

Rory McIlroy talks about the U.S Open at Pinehurst for the first time. 💬 pic.twitter.com/oGLYUMoXeS

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 10, 2024

Cover Image via Golf Digest