US Open: Rory McIlroy Hints at Big Masters Win for Bryson DeChambeau | Golf news

“I think he’s brilliant, but I think he’s taken advantage of where the game is right now.”

Rory McIlroy finished off 12 shots adrift from the champion

Rory McIlroy expressed surprise at the way Bryson DeChambeau achieved victory at the US Open after his own challenge was sold out on the final day at Winged Foot.

McIlroy’s attempt to put pressure on the leaders early was undone with a horrible six at the start, then he would close with a 75 to finish 12 strokes behind the champion, having started day six back and full of optimism.

Bryson DeChambeau broke into a six-shot win with his power strategy

It was imperative for McIlroy to keep mistakes at bay during the early stages of his round, and the signs were looking good when he hit the fairway with his first drive. But a poor second with short iron in hand missed the desired plateau on the green and rolled back to the edge, about 90 feet from the flag.

His first putt lacked enough pace and he again ended up on the front of the green, from where he needed three more to come down and make a damaging double bogey six.

Final round how it happened

How the last day of the US Open played out at Winged Foot

McIlroy made a pair in the third, but a six-foot inside miss in the next cost him another shot, and a bogey in the seventh short left him playing proudly for the rest of the day.

And he did a good job of that initially, making welcome birdies on the 9th and 11th, but missing the fairway on 15th cost him a shot and another wayward drive on the next led to another double bogey.

McIlroy doubled bogey in the first and went to card 75

As he contemplated passing another major without adding to his tally of four, McIlroy praised DeChambeau’s performance as “pretty impressive,” but admitted he didn’t imagine anyone taking the title by hitting just 23 streets during the week, the lowest. of any US Open. winner in history.

“I really don’t know what to say because that’s the complete opposite of what you think a US Open champion does,” said McIlroy, the 2011 champion. “Look, he’s found a way to do it.

“If that’s good or bad for the game, I don’t know, but it’s not the way I saw this golf course or this tournament being played. It’s a bit difficult to understand.

McIlroy feels DeChambeau could dominate Augusta National in November

“I played Bryson at Colonial the first week back, but I said, ‘okay, wait until he gets to a suitable golf course, he will have to control it.’ This is such a fitting golf course as they come, and look what happened. But he has full faith in what he’s doing and it’s pretty awesome. “

McIlroy also sounded a note of caution before the Masters in November, hinting that DeChambeau’s remarkable power and aggression could see him as a runaway winner at Augusta National.

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“I don’t flinch thinking about that, but if he can do it around here, I’m thinking about Augusta and thinking about the way you play there.

“I stood here a few weeks ago and said that the game has come a long way in the last 14 years since the last time the US Open was played here, and you’re looking at what the game has become, what it’s doing. there.

“I think he’s brilliant, but I think he’s taken advantage of where the game is at the moment. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s like that. With the way he’s approaching, with the putt, with everything, that’s where the is at. game right now.

“I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. He’s just taking advantage of what we have now.”