The astonishing stat that shows how painful Rory McIlroy’s US Open collapse was… as Nick Faldo admits his capitulation will ‘haunt him for the rest of his life’
- Rory McIlroy threw away his lead on the final holes of the US Open
- A stunning statistic has emerged following his collapse at Pinehurst
- Nick Faldo believes McIlroy could struggle to bounce back from his capitulation
An astonishing statistic has emerged in the wake of Rory McIlroy’s collapse at the US Open after throwing away a commanding position to lose by one shot to Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy was two shots ahead of the American with five holes to play at Pinehurst on Sunday, but hit three bogeys on the final four holes to surrender his lead.
The major turning point came on the 16th hole when he missed a putt by just over two feet. He then followed that up by faltering from less than four feet on the final hole, failing to even take the match to a play-off.
It has now been revealed that McIlroy had attempted 496 putts from within a meter in 2024 and successfully made all 496.
But it all went wrong for him at the worst possible time as the wait for his fifth major dragged on.
Rory McIlroy missed from within three feet on the 16th hole as he collapsed in his final round at the US Open on Sunday
McIlroy had previously made all 496 putts he attempted from within three feet in 2024, but missed the crucial moment when he lost by one shot to Bryson DeChambeau.
His last win came at the PGA Championship in August 2014, meaning he hasn’t won one of golf’s biggest events in a decade.
Sir Nick Faldo, himself a six-time major winner, commented for Sky Sports and admitted McIlroy will struggle to get over his capitulation.
“That will haunt Rory for the rest of his life, those two misses,” he said.
‘It was an incredible finish. That was a four out of four to finish from Bryson and the celebration of all celebrations! Rory must be heartbroken, so I sympathize with him. He will be gutted, absolutely gutted.”
Faldo’s thoughts were echoed by some fans who labeled McIlroy’s inability to win as ‘the biggest choke in the history of golf’ while claiming ‘I don’t know how he can recover from this’.
McIlroy’s near miss came at the end of the week, when he made a stunning turnaround and ended divorce proceedings against his wife, Erica Stoll.
McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll last month after seven years of marriage, but his attorney, Thomas Sasser, filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on behalf of his client at the Palm Beach County Courthouse last Tuesday.
Nick Faldo (pictured) believes McIlroy’s collapse will ‘haunt him for the rest of his life’
The Northern Irishman will have one last chance in 2024 to win his fifth major at The Open next month.
The 152nd edition of the tournament will be held this year from July 18 to 21 at Royal Troon in Scotland.