LOS ANGELES – Just before the points tent where he scored an even par 70 in the final round of the US Open, Rory McIlroy could only stare at the ground in silence.
The four-time major champion, face flushed from all day’s sunlight, took a sip from his water bottle, shook his head a few times and winced. He couldn’t start his post-round interview until it was official, so he waited for the inevitable sound from the nearby 18th green – a cheer that would indicate a familiar fate he’d already had to accept: he had his chance missed a fifth major championship by a stroke.
“I didn’t even have to wait for the tap-in,” McIlroy said of Wyndham Clark’s 18th-place par putt, which secured Clark’s first major win ever. “It’s just fine, good margins at this level and especially at this tournament, but I fought to the end.”
McIlroy’s voice dropped an octave or two, his shoulders slumped, and his demeanor one of resignation. Perhaps no one knows those fine gaps better than he does – Sunday marked the fourth time in the last two years that he had made it into the top five of a Major and the second time in the last four Majors that he had been the favorite to go in the finals, but narrowly failed.
“The last two real chances I’ve had at majors I think were pretty similar performances,” McIlroy said. “I played how I wanted to play. There were only a few shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I would like to have back.”
In a painful repeat of last year’s Open Championship, in which McIlroy held a share of the 54-hole lead but allowed Cameron Smith to get past him in the final round, McIlroy failed to make any of the putts he found to Hanging needed on his big chances. Ironically, he also scored 70 points (2 under) on the Old Course that day, and that wasn’t enough.
McIlroy didn’t make many mistakes during his even round at the Los Angeles Country Club, but like at St. Andrews, he didn’t take the few chances he had. On the third hole, McIlroy missed a 16-foot birdie putt that would become the theme of the day. Between the eighth hole and 12th hole, McIlroy missed potential birdie putts of 7 feet, 14 feet, 15 feet, and 18 feet. Pars didn’t harm him, but they didn’t help him either. These fine edges seemed larger because of the hole.
“I don’t think I made bad putts; I just hit them at the slightly wrong speed,” McIlroy said. “Some were too short, others a little too long.”
In addition to the short birdie putt on the eighth hole, the other shot McIlroy would have liked to have had again came on the par 5 14th. McIlroy had a sand wedge into the green and had a chance to nab another birdie look. Instead, he flew too short as the wind knocked him down at the worst possible time. Looking back, McIlroy said he probably should have waited 15 or 20 seconds for the gust to die down. Instead he bogeyed. The margins had struck again.
By the time McIlroy reached the home stretch, he needed a miracle to win let alone make the playoffs. Long birdie putts on the 16th, 17th and 18th failed to reach the back of the cup and missed by inches on several occasions. Once again, margins were not on his side. And when Clark hit the green on his approach to the 18, it was all over.
“You don’t want to wish anyone ill, but you really hope for a three-putt,” admitted McIlroy. “Wyndham has been pretty stable throughout the day.”
For the past two years, McIlroy has won other tournaments, even the Tour Championship, while bearing the public burden of a golfing world that is fractured and now uncertain. This week he tightened his approach, appearing less in the media and remaining focused on playing his best golf despite not having the best skills. It all seemed to be heading for a win. But then again, it was the same on the Old Course last year. This leeway always stands in our way; The scars keep getting deeper.
When Clark’s final putt failed, McIlroy seemed to quickly overcome disappointment and achieve something resembling acceptance. As he stood in front of reporters and answered questions, that acceptance gave way to a kind of motivation. As with any athlete at this level who has won before, it’s easy to know what goes into the cocktail of confidence after losing. You always have to remember that you can win again.
“I’m getting closer,” McIlroy said. “The more I put myself in these situations, the sooner or later it will happen to me.”
It’s difficult for McIlroy to get much closer than he has in the last two years. Earlier this week he spoke of seeing old highlights of himself in his last big win – the 2014 Open Championship in Hoylake. It’s been nine years and McIlroy hasn’t won another major trophy since. Next month he and the golf world will return to Hoylake for the 2023 Open.
A win there would be almost too perfect and closed too much for McIlroy and the thousands of fans looking to force him to a win on Sunday, both at the LACC and around the world, for him to dream of. But whether it happens in Hoylake or elsewhere, McIlroy has no choice but to believe that tight margins will once again benefit him. Facing another disappointing loss, it’s the only thing that could make the pain he felt after his last round worthwhile.
“I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another big championship,” McIlroy said. “When I finally win this next major, it’s going to be really, really sweet.”