Disappointed Rory McIlroy opts for a sabbatical after US Open finale meltdown

Shaken by the inability to close out a win that looked like it was his on a plate, world number three Rory McIlroy has opted to take a “few weeks” away from golf after watching Bryson DeChambeau nail the 72nd hole winning putt at the 124th edition of the US Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Sunday.

The Northern Ireland star, who won the last of his four major titles 10 years ago at the 2014 PGA Championship squandered two potential victory chances in a row on the greens and then had to wait till LIV Golf star DeChambeau converted the winning putt before driving away in silence from Pinehurst Resorts as runner-up in a second successive US Open by a single stroke.

Plenty of speculation as to why he left without even addressing a customary post-event press conference followed before McIlroy issued a statement saying he needed time away from the game before returning for the Scottish Open in the second week of July to defend his title.

Essentially, McIlroy promised that he would be back after trying to understand what went wrong at the challenging Pinehurst No. 2 course on Sunday.

“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I've had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer,” McIlroy said his statement.

“Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that. As I reflect on my week, I'll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day.

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

“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I've shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.

“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 at Royal Troon.

“See you in Scotland,” McIlroy added.

Meanwhile, 2023 US Open winner Wyndham Clark and past major winner Collin Morikawa will add star power to the Genesis Scottish Open, the PGA Tour has said.

They join a field at Renaissance Club in East Lothian that includes McIlroy, home favourite and recent PGA Tour winner Robert MacIntyre, 2022 champion and new US PGA winner Xander Schauffele, England stars Matt Fitzpatrick, and Justin Rose, besides European Ryder Cup players Ludvig Åberg, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland, and rising Korean star Joohyung Kim.

Said Clark who finished mid-pack at Pinehurst, “I’ve enjoyed teeing it up at the Genesis Scottish Open over the past few years and I’m looking forward to coming back to the Renaissance Club as part of what could be an exciting summer in Europe.”

Two-time major winner Morikawa returns for a third appearance at the Genesis Scottish Open on the back of top five finishes at the first two Majors of the season and a tied 14th at the US Open. The 2021

Race to Dubai champion recorded his most recent major victory at The Open that same year, the week after his debut appearance at Scotland’s national open.

Morikawa said: “I’m looking forward to coming back to Scotland for what will be an exciting two weeks this summer. I learned a lot on my first appearance at the Genesis Scottish Open that I was able to take forward to The Open in 2021, and I would love to have a great two weeks in front of the Scottish fans this July.” Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard, who had a successful 2023 with nine top 10s between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour – including a tied sixth at the Scottish Open – before claiming his first Rolex Series title at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, pointed out, Højgaard said: “I had a great week on my last visit to Renaissance Club, as part of what was a truly memorable year. It’s an event I look forward to and the support we all receive from the Scottish fans.”

The highlight of the 23-year-old Dane’s season was in September when he made his Ryder Cup debut and helped Europe to defeat the US by a handy margin in Rome. Højgaard followed that up with another impressive debut in a T16 finish at the Augusta Masters in April.