Rory McIlroy Has Crossed The Line Separating Reality And Delusion While Refelcting On His U.S. Open Collapse
Rory McIlroy is trying to look back on his collapse during the final round of the U.S. Open last month and take away something, anything, positive from that Sunday to forget. While it's completely understandable for McIlroy to take that sort of approach when reflecting on his runner-up finish, there is a line one can cross when it comes to thinking too positively of what was nothing short of a nightmare scenario.
Based on some of his comments, the first he's made publicly since the collapse at Pinehurst, he may have already crossed that line separating reality and delusion.
The facts of the matter are that McIlroy played his final four holes three-over par and missed not one, but two putts inside four feet during Sunday's final round. One of the three closing-hole bogeys came after he airmailed the Par 3 15th green, which was another moment criticized for days after the fact. McIlroy was eight-under par standing on the 15th tee, yet Bryson DeChambeau went on to win the tournament at six-under.
Missed putts happen, but two missed putts inside of four feet in the span of three holes don't, not when you have four major championship victories to your name and are the No. 2 ranked player in the world.
It would be fair to fault how McIlroy played down the stretch on that Sunday, but he's refusing to do so.
Rory McIlroy doesn't regret ducking the media after his collapse at Pinehurst No. 2. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Speaking with Sky Sports ahead of this week's Scottish Open, where McIlroy will defend his title in his first start back since the collapse at Pinehurst, he claimed he can't fault his play during that final round.
"For the most part, it was a great day, I keep saying to people it was a great day until it wasn't," McIlroy explained.
"Yeah, a couple little things I'd like to have back at the end there, but overall I can't fault how I played or the game plan that I had or how I sort of handled myself throughout the whole way through the tournament."
Again, McIlroy spinning what was one of the worst moments of his career into a positive is understandable. He can't sit there and pout about something he can't change. You lose far more than you win in the game of golf, it's getting over the losses as fast as possible that typically leads to greener pastures ahead.
Having said that, McIlroy could have still taken (mostly) positives away from that day and been candid about that final hour spent at Pinehurst. It's safe to assume he's faulting his play internally, and expressing that to the public given that the public witnessed the collapse, wouldn't hurt his perception.
McIlroy is of the opinion he doesn't owe the public much, he made that clear when he ducked the media after the final round at Pinehurst, so we shouldn't be surprised that he's putting an over-the-top positive spin on the situation while claiming his game plan and execution was good enough to get the job done.