How McIlroy missed the title at the 2023 US Open

America Rory McIlroy only had one bogey in the final round, but it happened at hole 14, making him even more disadvantaged and missing the chance to end his nine-year major drought.

On the morning of June 19, Hanoi time, McIlroy finished hole 13 at -10. At that time, Wyndham Clark was right behind, at -11. At hole 14 par 5, McIlroy hit into the thick and dense rough on the left side of the fairway, the second shot was 169 yards. The third shot was 124 yards from the flag, he chose a gap wedge instead of a sand wedge to escape the sand trap because he was afraid of not reaching the green.

But with that option, McIlroy hit the ball into the wall of the bunker.

"I thought it was a bad idea to use a sand wedge and swing it all the way around, so I told caddie Harry Diamond to take a gap wedge and swing it three-quarters of the way around. But I hit it right into the wind. I should have waited 15 or 20 seconds for it to die down," McIlroy later explained on Golf Channel .

McIlroy regrets after an unsatisfactory shot in the final round of the 2023 US Open on June 18. Photo: AP

McIlroy was unlucky, but he was lucky again. Because the ball sank into the wall of the bunker, McIlroy was given relief under Rule 16.3 of the Rules of Golf with a new position outside the bunker, in the rough and about 10.5 meters from the target.

But from there, the former world number one putted to 9 feet and two more putts to finish. A bogey on 14 left him at under-9, two shots behind Clark. As McIlroy reached the fairway on 15, the American reached the green on 14 with his second shot, two more putts for birdie and a three-stroke lead.

From holes 15 to 18, Clark made two bogeys and the remaining pars. However, McIlroy still could not catch up with his opponent in the race for points as he was ahead and kept par throughout that stretch. And so, Clark set the championship mark at -10, taking home $3.6 million in his first major victory, while McIlroy finished second with a bonus of $2.16 million.

McIlroy has been thirsty for a prestigious trophy for nine years, since his fourth, at the 2014 PGA Championship. Since then, he has participated in 34 majors with four top-3 finishes but has not been able to win, including the 2023 US Open.

After missing out on his latest opportunity, McIlroy admitted he was fed up with the recurring "near-win" scenario. However, the A-list star on the PGA Tour remained optimistic. "I'm willing to take the painful experience of the last hundred rounds like the US Open to capture the next major."

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