US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau revealed that Rory McIlroy has finally congratulated him on his Pinehurst victory. This comes after the heartbroken Northern Ireland star left the course without speaking to the American following his narrow loss.
During the final round at Pinehurst in June, McIlroy was briefly two shots ahead on the back nine but bogeyed three of the last four holes, finishing a shot behind DeChambeau. McIlroy missed short putts on the 16th and 18th holes, while DeChambeau made a brilliant par save from a bunker on the last hole.
McIlroy, who has not won a major since 2014, left the course shortly after his defeat without congratulating DeChambeau or speaking to the media. However, five weeks later, McIlroy and DeChambeau crossed paths for the first time since the US Open as they arrived at Royal Troon for the 152nd British Open.
“I said hello to him and we talked,” DeChambeau said. “He said congrats so everything’s great there. He’s a fierce competitor. I know he’s going to give the fans as much as he can this week. I’m going to be doing the same. We’re going to be competing. Hopefully, it will be another good battle.”
After three weeks off, McIlroy returned to action with a tie for fourth place in last week’s Scottish Open. He has been keen to reframe his Pinehurst performance positively, noting that between 2015 and 2020, he had few genuine chances to win a fifth major, despite numerous top 10 finishes.
McIlroy recalled the 2022 British Open at St Andrews, where he shared the 54-hole lead and covered his first 10 holes of