It was an unbelievable finish. That was a four of all fours to finish from Bryson and the celebration of all celebrations! Rory will be broken-hearted, so I feel for him. Sir Nick Faldo fears that Rory McIlroy’s US Open heartbreak could haunt him for the rest of his career after blowing a glorious opportunity to claim an elusive fifth major title. McIlroy was in prime position to end his decade-long major drought when he charged up the leaderboard on the final day at Pinehurst No 2, with four birdies in a five-hole stretch taking him two clear of overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau with five holes to play. The Northern Irishman missed at putt from inside three feet at the par-three 15th, having converted all 496 previous efforts from that distance this season, although he still held a share of the lead heading to the par-four last despite also bogeying the 16th. McIlroy then missed another putt from less than four feet at the 18th to fall back to five under, as DeChambeau produced a stunning 55-yard bunker shot to set up a close-range par and claim a remarkable one-shot victory. The former world No 1 declined the speak to the media after his second successive US Open runner-up finish, leaving the course within minutes of DeChambeau’s win, while Faldo – commentating for Sky Sports – said: That’s going to haunt Rory for the rest of his life, those two misses.
But ultimately, disappointment can be a powerful force in sports. It can either motivate a player to work harder and come back stronger, or it can linger and affect their confidence and performance. Only time will tell how McIlroy will respond to this near-miss at the US Open, but one thing is for certain – he will be feeling gutted right now.