Mackenzie Hughes has suggested what he does not think people understand about the putt Rory McIlroy had on the 72nd hole at the US Open as the Northern Irishman just missed out on his first major title in almost a decade.
Rory McIlroy is continuing to come to terms with what happened on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2, as he let the US Open slip through his grasp. Having started the day three shots back of Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy actually led by two at one stage during the back nine.
But three bogeys in his final four holes, including missed short putts on 16 and 18, handed DeChambeau the chance to get across the line for his second major title.
The miss on 16 definitely opened the door for DeChambeau, and made what happened two holes later all the more shocking. But some have jumped to the defence of the 35-year-old over the putt he faced on the final hole of the tournament.
What some don’t understand about putt Rory McIlroy had on 18
McIlroy seemed to line up left of the hole, but missed it on the low side, and speaking on The Smylie Show, Mackenzie Hughes insisted that he has a lot of sympathy for the putt McIlroy faced on 18.
“The putt that Rory had on 18, I don’t think people understand how hard that putt actually is. I mean, I know it’s only four feet, but that thing broke a cup,” he said.
“It was a putt that you couldn’t hit hard. Now if that had been a putt to tie and force a play-off, maybe you would have taken it tighter and just hit it, but at that point, he’s not sure what Bryson does behind him. If Bryson makes bogey, he could still be in a play-off, so you’re not trying to make that putt with a bunch of speed. It might not have been his best putt, but it didn’t seem like a bad putt either.
“That’s the last putt you want to have to hit in that scenario.”
McIlroy had already made two bigger mistakes on final hole
It was impossible not to feel sympathy for McIlroy after what happened, and he clearly looked to be absolutely devastated. McIlroy surprised DeChambeau by leaving the course immediately rather than congratulating the winner.
In hindsight, that putt probably was not even one of the two biggest mistakes McIlroy made on the final hole at Pinehurst. Firstly, he will rue that he took the driver off the tee when there did not appear to be a particular need to be so aggressive.
And secondly, knocking his chip shot past the hole was sloppy. Of course, the pressure in that moment was huge, but McIlroy is one of the most talented golfers of all-time.
It did appear that he had done a brilliant job to get himself so close to the hole, but on reflection, he probably would have preferred having six or seven feet from the other side of the cup.
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