McIlroy's US Open Setback
Rory McIlroy's US Open Bid Derailed by Five Late Bogeys
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Rory McIlroy's bid for a second U.S. Open title is almost certainly over. The reigning Masters champion carded a back-nine 40 on Saturday at Shinnecock Hills, surrendering five bogeys after a three-hole birdie run that briefly made him look dangerous. He finished the round at +3 for the tournament, nine shots behind leader Wyndham Clark, according to Associated Press.
McIlroy left the scoring area without speaking to reporters. He declined all interview requests from NBC and the written press and walked directly to his car, San Mateo Daily Journal reported. No player in U.S. Open history has ever overcome a nine-shot deficit in the final round to win, according to The Guardian.
A 66-Foot Miracle That Led Nowhere
McIlroy looked like a contender through the front nine. He birdied holes 5, 6, and 7 in a row. The highlight was a 66-foot putt on the 6th that took a sharp left turn at the crest of a hill before dropping in. That birdie moved him to -2 for the day and pulled him within four shots of the lead, Associated Press reported.
He made the turn with a front-nine 33, firmly inside the top 10. On the front nine alone, McIlroy made a combined 115 feet of putts, according to ShotCast data cited by NBC Sports. Then everything fell apart.
Five Bogeys on the Back Undid All the Good Work
The collapse started immediately. On the 10th hole, from just 49 yards in the fairway, McIlroy's second shot bounced over the green. It was his second straight day botching that same hole from inside 100 yards, Associated Press noted. That bogey set the tone.
Bogeys followed on holes 12, 14, 15, and 18. Wind gusts at Shinnecock hit 22 mph in the afternoon, making the drying greens nearly impossible to hold, according to NBC Sports. McIlroy lost 3.4 strokes to the field on the back nine alone, primarily from unforced errors off the fairway on holes 10 and 14. His back-nine putt total shrank to just 14 feet made. The final scorecard read 73, or +3 for the day.
History and Shinnecock Both Work Against McIlroy
Shinnecock Hills has been brutal to McIlroy before. At the 2018 U.S. Open on the same course, he opened with an 80 and missed the cut entirely. He entered this week saying he had "learned his lesson" about playing patient golf there, according to seattlepi.com. Saturday suggested old habits returned.
NBC analyst Matt Adams called the round a "psychological fracture." He said McIlroy lost his "disciplined patience" after the 66-foot birdie on the 6th and never got it back. The gap between McIlroy at +3 and Clark at -6 is the largest deficit McIlroy has faced entering a Major Sunday since 2018, according to CBS Sports as cited by live research sources.
Tournament Status and What Comes Next for McIlroy
Wyndham Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, holds the 54-hole lead at -6. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a 69 on Saturday to reach -1, tied for second with Sam Stevens, an unheralded 29-year-old seeking his first PGA Tour win. McIlroy needs a miracle round of at least 63 on Sunday just to tie — something that has never been done in U.S. Open history from nine back.
Off the course, McIlroy also withdrew from next week's Travelers Championship, a $20 million Signature Event. It is his third withdrawal from a Signature Event in 2026, putting him at risk of losing voting status on the PGA Tour by falling short of the 15-event minimum, according to Golf Monthly. Analysts expect him to return home to West Palm Beach before heading to London to prepare for The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
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