Rory McIlroy chokes US Open in way that will ‘haunt him for the rest of his life’

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Bryson DeChambeau earned his second US Open championship during an exceptional last day at Pinehurst. His victory added to the major disappointment that a stunned Rory McIlroy experienced.

DeChambeau impressively preserved his par score after being stuck in a fairway bunker on the last hole, while McIlroy will be disappointed in himself for missing out on an opportunity to win his fifth major title after 10 years.

It's been thirteen whole years since McIlroy triumphed in his very first US Open, marking his breakthrough major win at Congressional. And now, after a whopping 3,599 days since securing the 2014 US PGA title, he appeared poised to make a victorious comeback. With a two-shot lead and only five holes remaining, McIlroy had his sights set on finally clinching another big win.

Surprisingly, the man from Northern Ireland failed to make a par on the 16th hole from a distance of two feet and six inches. Moreover, he missed another short putt of less than four feet on the 18th hole, resulting in another devastating defeat.

Whilst commentating on Sky Sports, six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo expressed his views by saying, "The two misses made by Rory are something he will regret for the rest of his life".

At the beginning of the day, McIlroy was behind DeChambeau by three shots. However, he got off to a great start by scoring a birdie from a distance of 20 feet on the first hole. When DeChambeau made a bogey on the fourth hole, McIlroy was only one shot behind him.

McIlroy had a stroke of bad luck when he lost one point on the fifth hole, which is a par-five. His approach shot appeared to be great, but the ball rolled off the sloping green and ended up in a natural area.

McIlroy's shot from an unfavorable position resulted in a chip that landed in the bunker just ahead of him. He came very close to sinking a 20-foot putt to save par.

Once more, McIlroy narrowed the distance between himself and DeChambeau by scoring a birdie from a distance of 15 feet on the ninth hole. Nevertheless, DeChambeau maintained his lead by making a par from a comparable distance on the eighth hole.

McIlroy managed to hit a fantastic birdie from far away on the tenth hole, which put him in a tied position for the lead. Cantlay also managed to hit a good shot and remained one point behind McIlroy, who he often competes against in the Ryder Cup.

DeChambeau managed to birdie the 10th hole, which allowed him to regain his lead. He also showed good skill by rescuing par on the following hole despite experiencing difficulties when teeing off and encountering sand.

McIlroy made a lengthy birdie putt on the 12th hole, bringing him to the same score as DeChambeau at seven under par. Meanwhile, Cantlay lost a point on the exact same hole, making it seem like McIlroy and DeChambeau were the only contenders left.

The starting point on the 13th hole, which typically requires four strokes to complete, was situated closer to the destination to encourage golfers to attempt to hit the ball straight onto the green. McIlroy utilized this advantageous setup, and his first shot ricocheted off the building in the rear of the course, landing about 20 feet away from the designated area where the ball needs to be putted into the hole.

He made a short shot to get the ball to five feet away from the hole. DeChambeau made a mistake by hitting the ball off target on the 12th hole, causing him to lose a point. McIlroy then smoothly hit the ball into the hole, making his fourth successful birdie out of the last five holes played, increasing his lead by two points.

However, the lead did not remain for a considerable time. DeChambeau was able to drive the green on the 13th, leading to a two-putt birdie. As for McIlroy, he bogeyed the 15th hole for the third consecutive day after failing to get up and down from the area beyond the green.

DeChambeau aimed to steer clear of difficulties on the identical hole by cautiously reaching the putting green, but unfortunately ended up scoring a bogey by making an awkward three-putt shot from 30 feet.

McIlroy was given a one-shot lead due to his talent. However, he quickly lost it because he experienced an incredible miss from a distance of less than three feet. This was the first time this season where he had missed a putt from that close, after making 496 successful putts. The missed putt resulted in him losing the opportunity to save par on the 16th hole.

DeChambeau nearly made birdie shots on holes 16 and 17. On the last hole, McIlroy missed a simple par putt, while DeChambeau played amazingly by making a difficult 55-yard bunker shot. He stayed focused and made the par putt, securing a fantastic triumph.