As you know by now, Rory McIlroy was leading Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open by one shot with just three holes to play – a 10-year winless streak in the majors was seemingly about to be busted.
He then inexplicably missed a (less than) 3-foot putt on 16 that sent gasps through the grounds at Pinehurst as the two stars were now deadlocked at -6.
After a par save on 17, McIlroy made a mess of 18 and then shockingly missed a downhill 4-foot par putt on 18 to fall one back of DeChambeau at -5.
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman then became something of a meme, helplessly watching as DeChambeau made one of the greatest up and downs in major championship history to secure his second U.S. Open title and deny McIlroy his long-awaited fifth major.
Roy Green at Global Golf Post summed it up best, “It was like a man watching his own execution.”
Instead of being magnanimous and walking a few feet out the door to congratulate the new champion, McIlroy did the absolute worst thing: he immediately turned around, ignored the media, and headed for the exits – even peeling out in the parking lot as stunned fans looked on.
Making matters even worse was the recent image of a classy DeChambeau, just a few weeks earlier at Valhalla, congratulating Xander Schauffele at the PGA, after he himself lost by a shot.
DeChambeau called his loss at the PGA “heartbreaking.
— Jordan Rice (@TriStar423) June 17, 2024
“I don’t know what to think. It fully hasn’t sunk in yet. I just want everybody to enjoy it, as well,” said DeChambeau in the media room at Pinehurst. “As much as it is heartbreaking for some people, it was heartbreak for me at the PGA. I really wanted this one.”
Golf twitter (X) has been absolutely dragging McIlroy for his “classless behavior” over the past few days.
A sample of the critical tweets comes from replies to a post by Luke Elvy:
Ok I’ll say it…can we stop this unrealistic belief that our sports heroes are perfect please. Rory Mcilroy has given everything of himself over the past two years. He’s flawed, we all are, but did the utter devastation not tell the story? #RoryMcIlroy
pic.twitter.com/UvAEcul2Ll— Luke Elvy (@Luke_Elvy) June 17, 2024
At the time of publishing this post, there at 648 replies to Elvy – 60-70% of which are brutally criticizing Rory in some form or another.
If you run your mouth about LIV guys for years…
Then choke in the worst possible fashion on 18, losing to a LIV guy…
Then speed off from the property like a spoiled child…
Yes… you will get clowned on social media as you should.
LIV baby LIV ???????? pic.twitter.com/9gj3Wqvabt
— Blackbeard ????☠️ (@BlackbeardBets_) June 17, 2024
The “face” of the PGA, the defender of all that is good against the almighty black plague that’s LIV.. please. Where’s he going to run and hide when owgr is done away with? When PGA and LIV work on a deal
— TheWhiteDahlia (@TheWhiteDahlia_) June 17, 2024
Read the rest of the opinions here.
