Rory McIlroy's 10-year timeline of major heartache after latest U.S. Open choke

Rory McIlroy looked set to end his 10-year wait for a major championship at the U.S. Open on Sunday, but went on to lose out to a single shot to Bryson DeChambeau

By: irishmirror.ie

Jun 17 2024
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Rory McIlroy's 10-year timelin

Rory McIlroy's 10-year wait for a fifth major championship victory continued on Sunday, after the Northern Irishman was pipped by Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open in agonising fashion.

Having headed into the final round at Pinehurst No. 2 three shots behind, McIlroy found himself two shots clear of the field with just five holes to play. It proved to be a final stretch to forget for the 2011 champion though, after bogeying three of his last five holes, with two short missed putts.

The first of his brutal misses came at the par-four 16th, as the Northern Irishman's putt for par from inside three-feet failed to drop, the first time this season he had missed from this distance, having holed his previous 496 attempts.

The heartache however was far from over, as the same fate followed at the 18th, where a harsh break to the right saw him once again add a bogey to his card. Minutes later DeChambeau himself made his way up the 18th, making a remarkable up-and-down from the sand to save par and win the championship by a single shot.

The near-miss inflicted yet more major pain on McIlroy, who has now clocked up four runner-up finishes since last major win at the PGA Championship in 2014. His last also came on the U.S. Open stage, having fell to the same fate at Los Angeles Golf Club 12 months ago, losing to Wyndham Clark by one shot.

His best finish at the Masters came one year prior to that, after he again finished in second, this time behind eventual champion Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy also ended the week at the 2018 Open Championship one spot behind Francesco Molinari, tying for second with Kevin Kisner, Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose.

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Rory McIlroy missed out on Sunday (Image: Getty Images)

In the 10 years that have followed, the four-time flagship winner has finished inside the top-10 of a major event a staggering 21 times, with arguably one of his biggest near-misses aside from last Sunday coming at St Andrews in 2022. McIlroy headed into the final round of The Open two years ago joined at the top with Viktor Hovland, four shots clear of the chasing pack.

Again it proved to be more Sunday disappointment though, as whilst Hovland tailed off, McIlroy was chased down by Cameron Smith in a remarkable performance at the Home of Golf. The Claret Jug remains the next target in his quest for No. 5, as McIlroy will be forced to dust himself down and go again at next month's Open at Royal Troon.

Rory McIlroy's major championship results since his 2014 win: