AP – Rory McIlroy took to social media yesterday to say his stunning collapse at the US Open was probably the toughest day of his career, and that he would take off the next three weeks to “build myself back up”.
That means he will skip the Travellers Championship, the final USD20 million signature event on the PGA Tour schedule with a limited field and no cut.
“The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient,” McIlroy said in his post.
“I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.”
McIlroy twice had a one-shot lead at Pinehurst number two until he closed with three bogeys in his last four holes, missing a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole and a par putt from just inside four feet on the 18th hole. Bryson DeChambeau won it with a sensational par on the 18th, hitting a 55-yard bunker shot to four feet for par to beat McIlroy by one shot. McIlroy became the first player since Jim Furyk in 2006-07 to lose the US Open by one shot in consecutive years.
He was so distraught after watching DeChambeau’s par from the scoring room that he cleaned out his locker, headed straight to his car and spun his tires on the gravel in a rush to leave.
He did not stay behind to congratulate DeChambeau, typical for players who finish in the group ahead. DeChambeau came over to congratulate Xander Schauffele a month ago when Schauffele beat him with a birdie on the final hole in the PGA Championship.
