Rory McIlroy - 4 Time Major Winner

I know it's never going to happen but having an international major, to replace the PGA, would be great. The PGA has always been the poor relative of the others. The rest have a specific identity - The Master's and Augusta, The Open and links and the US Open and very tough setups.

they can't make another major, it has to happen organically and it's too late now. the mark has been set by Jack, you can't go messing with it now as a poster said. they tried their best with the Players and it's still not a major

That stat isn't relevant to the one on 18. The putt on 18 was 3 feet and 9 inches.

I see John Rahm in an interview was saying the difficulty of the putt on 18 for Rory was underplayed. Basically he was saying it certainly was no gimmie and very missable. The putt on 16 was the poor one. I really hope he goes away for the next few weeks and gets his head together. Might be mad to say it but I really think he will win the British Open in a few weeks time

This.

The one on 16 was the shocker, after that his head was in a whirl I reckon. The one on 18 wasnt a gimme, but under normal circumstances he'd make that all day long as would any pro. But between the pressure of the situation as it was and the head spin from 16 it turned out to be too much.

I dont like people making him out to be a failure, he is obviously far from it, but the truth is thats the sort of stuff you have to deal with at that level and when it really mattered he couldn't.

Nobody saying he shouldn't make it.

I simply pointed out that the 496 stat is irrelevant when discussing his putt on 18.

I think it was a tricky putt and I was stunned he tried to play it at that weight. I would have thought you'd take the break out of it and you don't care about the comeback putt.

I guess the word of Rahm would carry some weight though.

It seems like the general consensus has been that the putt on 16 was a terrible miss. The putt on 18, much trickier but should still make it. Don't think that's changed as the days have gone on.

Bryson is a seriously underrated golfer, yeah his swing looks odd and he was seen a a big blaster for a while but he has an excellent short game. I had money on him for the US Open thankfully. He is the only one of the LIV golfers that I miss.

We have one in Europe so if there was one moving it should be to other continents.

And you completely forgot South America where golf is huge.

where does he state that?

Can't be arsed going on a watch party, but this one I found was interesting anyway (although it's not identical distances). You'd know pretty quickly though that the percentages for the same distances would be the same.

This was him answering the following question: 'Which would you prefer to seal the greatest round of your life?

- An uphill 7ft putt for par.
- A downhill 5ft putt for par.'

I'm saying that's an example of it. He has noted before that the make rate across a large sample size is almost identical. I can't find it (dunno how to search on Twitter properly).

Of course the make percentage would decrease when there's more sideslope. That's the same for uphill….

To move a major outside USA will take considerable amount of $$$ Even the open they fly in and out bar maybe a few play Scotland or a few days beforehand around the place. These players don’t need to spend rounds and rounds getting use to links golf in previous eras.

From 1-3ft, yes, the stats do show similar numbers.

From 4-10ft, uphill putts are easier.

https://thegolfnewsnet.com/ryan_ballengee/2022/12/08/is-it-better-for-golfers-to-leave-an-uphill-putt-compared-to-a-downhill-putt-127730/

Pros prefer uphill putts because they can be more aggressive and take some of the break out of the putt. I've literally never heard a pro golfer or a commentator on golf say downhill is better.

You're not working off facts there. Only assumptions about the penalty taking analogy.

Likely make 100/100 in training? Against a pro goalkeeper?

I dont think Malachy Clerkin or Ciaran Murphy are hacks. There's plenty of people who called it a choke and if you're calling everyone who used that term a hack, I doubt there's many (if any) golf journalists left.

The irony of course is that these hacks (Clerkin and Murphy) all have written previously about how great McIlroy is and lecturing us that "we're a strange people, really".

That's not irony. Nor are they mutually exclusive things. McIlroy is great but he also choked on Sunday.

It's grand if you disagree and don't think he choked, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

We'll I gave an example of one who didnt. He is the actual golf correspondent for the same paper!

And I also gave you an example of Irelands greatest golf correspondent who never used the term.

They are hacks. They build it up and tear it down. Just for clicks.

They don't have the skills to be a real sports writer.

If you cant see the irony in their motives and you dont think the language is toxic…no hard feelings.

I'll leave you with another bit of quality journalism:

In amassing 18 professional major titles, Nicklaus got beyond stage one of the Grand Slam only once. That was in 1972 when he had a three-stroke cushion over Australian Bruce Crampton in capturing the Masters before going on to achieve the same victory margin over the same player in the US Open at Pebble Beach, two months later.

Prior to that, Nicklaus came closest to completing the first two stages in 1966 when he retained the Masters, just as Woods has now done, only to finish third behind Billy Casper in the US Open at the Olympic Club. In 1972, however, Nicklaus could look with optimism towards emulating Ben Hogan's three successive majors, given that the British Open was at Muirfield, a course he clearly enjoyed in victory in 1966.

That was when the Bear joined Gene Sarazen, Hogan and Gary Player as a career winner of all four major titles, an achievement which, naturally, made Muirfield all the more special and led to the naming of Muirfield Village, his creation in Dublin, Ohio.

As it happens, should Woods capture the US Open at Bethage State Park, New York, on June 18th to 23rd, he will be heading to Muirfield a month later with the same objective as Nicklaus had in 1972. And he will need considerably better luck than his illustrious predecessor, if Hogan's treble of 1953 is to be equalled.

Entering the final round, Lee Trevino on 207 led by a stroke from Tony Jacklin, with Nicklaus tailed off on 213. But the Bear remained convinced that a closing 65 could be enough. Trevino, on the other hand, insisted to Jacklin on the first tee: "Jack might catch one of us, but he won't catch both of us." After Nicklaus had reached the turn in 32, his wife Barbara responded to his request for a cold lemonade. "No lime juice: it's dry enough out here without any lime juice," she was told. He figured a 3,4,4 finish, which he had in 1966, could win. Instead, he finished 4,5,4 and lost by a stroke.

Nicklaus was signing his card for a closing 66 when somebody shouted "Trevino's blown." But as the Bear emerged from the scorer's hut, his caddie, Jimmy Dickinson, yelled "He (Trevino) holed a chip for a five!" "What?", Nicklaus reacted in shock to his rival's improbable par from trouble off the back of the green at the long 17th . Then Trevino parred the last. It was all over: Supermex had won, Nicklaus was second and Jacklin was third. The dream of the Grand Slam lay in ruins.

"Hi there," the Bear said softly to his wife. He then kissed her and held her for a moment, before adding: "I was there and let it get away. I felt a 65 would do it. I had a 65 and I let it get away." The chance would never come again.

By Dermot Gilleece Sat Apr 20 2002

for your time or not… times change and words can change meanings over time and be used differently. just because a term is used in America, that doesn't mean it cannot become universally popular used and just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean that it is a wrong term to use.

just because someone has huge success and global reach, that doesn't mean they should be universally popular. I mean, someone here previously mentioned Conor mcgregor. he has HUGE success and global reach but I would say is universally unpopular. Some might say the same about Donald Trump.

loads of great sports stars are unpopular, success does make someone popular.

Honestly, I wouldnt characterise McIlroy's loss as a choke. For me a choke is a sustained sequence of bad shots that are completely out of character for an elite golfer. Rory lost the US Open because he was overly positive. His tee shot on 15 was a disaster; overly aggressive, picked the wrong club as a consequence and put himself in an impossible position from where bogey was a decent score.

Exhibit B - his first putt on 16. Again, overly and needlessly positive, knocked it by the hole and left himself a putt that was missable, no matter your standard, especially on those greens. In fact, if you watch his reaction to the miss, his hand movement was almost a retrospective response to the 1st putt, given that he knew the 2nd putt wasnt going outside gimme distance. And I dont care what his stats were for 3 foot putts this year, every golfer in the world can and has missed a 20 inch putt. It was an anomaly at worst. It was no choke.

I have no real issue with the driver off 18; yes, it deviated from the 3 wood strategy of the first 3 days but I think he thought he needed a 3. BDC had just hit it to 15ft odd on 17, Rory saw it and reacted. Why wouldnt you hit driver, his best weapon all week and probably his whole career, with a pin on a shelf that can only be accessed (without skipping it up) with a LW?

His Masters loss in 2011 was a certifiable choke. Wild long shots, inexplicable 3 putts, brain fried. Last Sunday, he lost the tournament. But it wasnt a choke for me. 1 bad club and an overly enthusiastic approach putt on 16. They are what did him.

re: choked

you are missing the point entirely.

He didn't win. You can call it a collapse, pressure, nerves, scar tissue etc.. choke? I know it's common parlance. I know it's origins. I know you like to call it that. I know others like to call it that.

I've given examples of other articles that haven't used it in the past and didn't use it for the US OPEN. see below.

Philip Reid

Tue Jun 18 2024 - 06:00

The noise from the 18th green at Pinehurst No 2 was loud and raucous and drifted its way over the temporary fencing to the car park reserved for past champions just yards away. In one of those spots was a sign, simple and straightforward: “US Open Champion Rory McIlroy 2011″ is how it read.

Except, the space in front was empty. There would be no 2024 added for future years, and certainly not for Oakmont’s staging next year. Those additional digits were headed to someone else, to Bryson DeChambeau.

And the speed of McIlroy’s departure following his late collapse in the 124th edition of the old championship, doing his bit in handing the trophy to DeChambeau, was indicative of the new wounds to be added to old scar tissue.

McIlroy’s rush away, his Lexus promptly packed with clubs and baggage before any of the formalities, for a swift departure to his Lear jet in nearby Moore County airfield, and onwards home to Florida, was speedy and at odds with the funereal mood. Nobody had died but it felt that way, a mix of sympathy and disbelief working its way to a player still in his own world.

On this occasion, McIlroy – the loss clearly too raw – chose not to speak to anyone afterwards. Not to print. Not to radio. Not to TV. Perhaps reasoning what was there to say? Perhaps deciding that it was too soon for a postmortem? Perhaps, simply just not wanting to talk at all.

What didn’t need saying at all was that McIlroy – once again – had come up short in a major championship; 10 years of hurt and angst with no redemption to heal old wounds and the scar tissue spreading wider and deeper.

McIlroy is too good a player for him not to have further chances to win majors, with next month’s 152nd Open at Royal Troon next up.

But the tale since his last win, in the 2014 US PGA at Valhalla, has extended far beyond what anyone expected. There is, of course, still the opportunity to add more majors to his CV and to achieve the career goal of passing Seve Ballesteros (5) and Nick Faldo (6) on the modern day list of Europe’s most successful player in majors. Or not.

Faldo, indeed, was one of those who felt his latest loss would delve into McIlroy’s psyche and stay there. “That’s going to haunt Rory for the rest of his life,” he said.

What we have seen from McIlroy in the past is an ability to get over final round collapses, most notably bouncing back from his 2011 Masters travails at Augusta National to claim a breakthrough major title with his success in the US Open at Congressional just two months later. In between, incidentally, McIlroy had made a humanitarian trip to Haiti in his role as a UN ambassador, where he’d gotten perspective on life matters.

That was then, 13 years ago. The three other majors he added in jig time – in the 2012 US PGA, the 2014 British Open and the 2014 US PGA – have been followed by a barren spell, a winless drought that has extended to a decade. McIlroy’s appearance in Pinehurst was his 37th since lifting the Wannamaker Trophy, his fourth runner-up finish in that time, and his 21st top-10.

If those statistics demonstrate how he has been knocking on the door all those years, there is no doubt that he opened the door himself in the final round on Sunday – starting out three shots behind DeChambeau and moving two strokes ahead with five holes to play – only to slam it shut with those missed short putts on 16 and 18.

Paul McGinley – who was in Pinehurst in his broadcasting roles with Sky and the Golf Channel – claimed it had come down to a “drop in focus” from McIlroy when it mattered most as he headed down the stretch.

“Through 13 holes, he was on it. He was exactly where you wanted to be. And that element of doubt came in. He started second-guessing himself. He started backing off shots, which he never does. He started having an extra couple of looks down the fairway before he took the club back. He started having an extra little bit of time over the putts, which he never does. That’s pressure. And he succumbed to it,” said McGinley.

We don’t know for sure, because of his decision not to speak afterwards, but it is most likely that McIlroy knew all of that. He didn’t need anyone to tell him. He knew, this was the big fish that was caught and was allowed to slip away.

Late on Monday night McIlroy withdrew from this week’s Travelers Championship in Hartford, Connecticut, one of the PGA Tour’s signature events with a $20 million purse.

“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my 17 years as a professional golfer,” he wrote in a social media post. “As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day,” he added.

“But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.”

Despite the gut-wrenching loss, McIlroy, who also finished one stroke adrift of the winner at last year’s US Open, said he feels closer than ever to ending a major drought that stretches back to the PGA Championship in August 2014.

“The one word that I would describe my career as is ‘resilient’,” he said.

“I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again,” he said.

“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open and Royal Troon.

“See you in Scotland.”

As for your comment about the Irony of using hack. I know exactly why I'm using and it's connotations to golf.

These hacks like Clerkin and Murphy cant break 90. They don't understand golf and they don't care about the game. They don't care about their profession They care about click's.

I've said it earlier and I'll keep saying it. There is an illness in sport.

"choked"

"mental meltdown"

"dweebier"

Toxic language. Clerkin and his like want to bring it there to get their clicks.

They don't write about sportsmanship -doesn't get the clicks.

They dont care about sincerity & honesty in the game -doesn't get the clicks.

They dont care about the great competitive nature that was on display at the US Open -doesn't get the clicks.

Even if they understood that this was one of the great major championships they dont have the writing skills to describe it properly.

They want to boil it down to the cheap and nasty.

The knuckle draggers go with it and the kids of today will unfortunately view sport through that prism.

As much as you dislike yet you’re willing to go there!

I’ll be honest with you - The use of the dictionary definition clarifies a few things for me. I used to think you were one of the few who viewed McIlroy’s exploits with a rational eye and for the right reasons.

I’ll leave it there.

Once he went two shots clear:

• On 14, missed the fairway. A fan stopped it from rolling further and likely into a worse spot. Missed the green.
• On 15, wrong club, goes long and in a nightmare spot. Makes bogey
• On 16, plays it well but misses the very short putt for par
• On 17, misses the green and lands it in the bunker
• On 18, misses the fairway and misses the short putt for par

That's a mistake every hole from when he got in the lead. For me, that's a choke.