How McIlroy missed out on the US Open 2023 title.

In the final round, Rory McIlroy only had one bogey, but it happened on the 14th hole, further jeopardizing his chances and causing him to miss the opportunity to end his nine-year major drought.

On the morning of June 19th, Hanoi time, McIlroy finished the 13th hole at -10. Wyndham Clark was right behind him at -11. At the par-5 14th hole, McIlroy hit into the thick rough to the left of the fairway, his second shot going 169 yards. His third shot landed 124 yards from the flag; he chose a gap wedge instead of a sand wedge, fearing he wouldn't reach the green.

But with that choice, McIlroy hit the ball into the side of the sand trap.

"I thought using a sand wedge and swinging at full swing wouldn't work, so I told caddie Harry Diamond to get a gap wedge and swing a 3/4 turn. However, I hit it right when the wind started blowing strongly. I should have waited about 15-20 seconds for it to calm down," McIlroy later explained on Golf Channel .

McIlroy expresses regret after a disappointing shot in the final round of the 2023 US Open on June 18. Photo: AP

Having just experienced bad luck, McIlroy was fortunate. Because his ball landed in the sand trap, McIlroy was exempted from penalty under Rule 16.3 of the Rules of Golf, and his new position was outside the trap, in the rough, and approximately 10.5 meters from the target.

But from there, the former world number one putt landed 2.7 meters from the hole and needed two more putts to finish. A bogey on the 14th hole left him at -9, two strokes behind Clark. When McIlroy landed on the fairway on the 15th hole, the American hit the green on the 14th hole on his second putt, needed two more putts to score a birdie, and thus took a three-stroke lead over McIlroy.

From holes 15 to 18, Clark recorded two bogeys, with the remaining two being pars. However, McIlroy was unable to catch up in the scoring race, leading and maintaining par throughout that section. Thus, Clark secured the victory with a score of -10, pocketing $3.6 million in his first major win, while McIlroy finished second with a prize of $2.16 million.

McIlroy has been without a major trophy for nine years, since his fourth win at the 2014 PGA Championship. Since then, he has competed in 34 majors, finishing in the top three four times, but has yet to win, including the 2023 US Open.

After missing out on his latest opportunity, McIlroy admitted he was tired of the recurring "near misses." Nevertheless, the A-list PGA Tour star remained optimistic. "I'm willing to take on more painful experiences from the final hundred rounds like the US Open to clinch the next major."

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