European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald has reacted to Rory McIlroy’s US Open heartbreak after the Northern Irishman crumbled during the latter stages of his fourth round at Pinehurst No.2.
The 35-year-old missed a short par putt on the 18th after initially hitting his drive left of the fairway.
Eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau subsequently made a spectacular up and down from the greenside bunker to land his second US Open title and sparked jubilant scenes with the North Carolina crowd.
McIlroy must now wait till next month’s Open to end his ten-year wait for his fifth major title.
Luke Donald reacts to US Open heartbreak for Rory McIlroy
Taking to X after DeChambeau’s win, Donald praised Pinehurst’s set-up over the week.
He explained: “As a golf fan, that was epic to watch. Pinehurst was amazing.”
Donald added: “Such unbelievable heartbreak for Rory, but that up & down by @b_dechambeau on 18 was as good as it gets under that amount of pressure. Congratulations on your 2nd US Open, Bryson.”
Bryson DeChambeau also has classy message for Rory McIlroy
This heartbreak will be brutal for McIlroy to get over. The 35-year-old had the US Open title nearly in both hands before seemingly crumbling under the pressure.
As the years go by, McIlroy’s desperation to win another major championship will see the pressure increase more, and he must learn to handle the key moments better.
DeChambeau, unsurprisingly, was classy in his verdict on the four-time major champion.
“Rory is one of the best to ever play,” DeChambeau told the media. “Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. For him to miss that putt, I’d never wish it on anybody. It just happened to play out that way.”
He added: “I have nothing but respect for how he plays the game of golf because, to be honest, when he was climbing up the leaderboard, he was two ahead, I was like, ‘Uh-oh, uh-oh.’ But luckily, things went my way today.”
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