Rory McIlroy Shoots 73 at U.S. Open as 5 Back-Nine Bogeys Cripple Chances

Q: After conquering Augusta twice, why does Rory McIlroy's game repeatedly crumble under U.S. Open pressure?

Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open problems look less like a mystery than a bad fit between his risk-reward style and the championship’s punishing demands. At Augusta, McIlroy can attack, use his length, and recover from occasional misses because birdies are available and the course rewards imagination. The U.S. Open is the opposite: it is built to punish even small errors. At Shinnecock, with firm greens, strong winds and crosswinds built into William Flynn’s design, misses from even ideal positions became costly. McIlroy’s collapse began from just 49 yards on the 10th, a reminder that this test is often decided not by brilliance but by restraint and precision. His own comments pointed to the issue. He said he wanted to “limit the mistakes,” but instead produced “way too many mistakes and way too few birdies.” That is the central U.S. Open trap for him: when conditions get severe, he can become too aggressive. He admitted being too aggressive to pins earlier in the week, and on Saturday the back nine unraveled with five bogeys. There is also a technical element. Analysts have noted that under pressure McIlroy can get the club too far behind him in transition, creating blocks or hooks. On a course like Shinnecock, where wind, firm turf and shaved run-offs magnify every miss, that flaw becomes expensive quickly. So the pattern is not simply pressure in the abstract. It is pressure interacting with a style and swing tendency that the U.S. Open exposes more harshly than Augusta does.

Q: What is the key psychological barrier preventing McIlroy from ending his decade-long major championship drought?

McIlroy’s main psychological barrier is not talent or form, but handling the pressure of closing when a major is within reach. The pattern is consistent: when he gets into contention, especially late in majors, the burden of a long drought and the memory of past failures appear to tighten his decision-making and execution. That pressure has shown up in blown leads, rushed or overly aggressive shots, and costly mistakes in decisive stretches. The searched material points to this clearly, citing collapses such as the 2011 Masters, the 2022 Open, and the 2024 U.S. Open, where he made uncharacteristic errors under maximum stress. At Shinnecock, that same issue surfaced again. McIlroy had played his way into the mix, then unraveled on the back nine with five bogeys after saying his goal was to “limit the mistakes.” His own assessment — “way too many mistakes and way too few birdies” — fits the broader theme that, under major-championship pressure, he can struggle to stay composed and fully present. A related factor is that McIlroy often looks more comfortable chasing than protecting a position. When ahead or close enough to sense the opportunity, the weight of expectation can make him uneasy, affecting club selection, aggression levels and short-putt execution. In practical terms, the barrier is his ability to remain in the moment and trust his process when the stakes peak. Until that improves consistently, the drought remains difficult to end.

3 articles · Updated · PGA TOUR · Jun 20

McIlroy carded a 3-over 73 on Saturday, falling to 3 over for the tournament after a back-nine unraveling at Shinnecock Hills.
Three straight birdies on Nos. 5-7 had pushed him into the top 10, but he came home in 40 with bogeys at 10, 12, 14, 15 and 18.
No. 10 again proved costly: from 49 yards in the fairway, his approach hit the green and rolled off, leading to the second straight day he bogeyed the hole from inside 100 yards.
The collapse undercut the Masters champion's belief after Friday that limiting mistakes over the weekend would let him make a move, and he left quickly after the round.