Rory McIlroy Finishes 6 Over at US Open as Shinnecock Hills 'Won Battle'

Q: Was McIlroy's weekend collapse a personal failure or another testament to Shinnecock's notoriously brutal design?

It was both, but more a case of Shinnecock exposing a lapse than McIlroy simply imploding on his own. McIlroy’s own words point to personal responsibility. He said he “shot myself out of the tournament” on Saturday’s back nine, where he went from two under through nine to a string of bogeys that erased his chance. His final-round 73, with early bogeys, confirmed that he never recovered. For a player chasing a major, that stretch was a failure of execution and composure. But Shinnecock is built to punish exactly that kind of dip. Its elevated, heavily contoured greens, firm runoffs, false fronts and constantly shifting winds leave almost no margin for error. McIlroy had warned before the event that the greens would be the toughest part and that patience would be essential. He later admitted the course “won the battle over me,” which is consistent with Shinnecock’s history: only a handful of players have finished under par across its U.S. Opens, and the back nine includes some of the most exacting holes in championship golf, especially the 10th and 11th. So this was not merely a collapse in isolation. McIlroy made the mistakes, but Shinnecock amplified every one of them. On a softer or less exacting course, a shaky nine holes might have been survivable. At Shinnecock, they were decisive.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 21

A closing 73 left Rory McIlroy at six over par at Shinnecock Hills, ending his bid for a second US Open title.
Five bogeys on Saturday's back nine proved decisive: McIlroy said he had reached two under through nine before "the wheels came off," leaving him level par and seven shots behind Wyndham Clark.
Three birdies and four bogeys in Sunday's final round were not enough to recover after early mistakes on the front nine drained any realistic chance of a charge.
July now becomes McIlroy's next focus, with the Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Birkdale offering a return to links golf he said he relishes.