Revisionist History

In the wake of the final round of the 2023 U.S. Open, much is being written about Rory McIlroy. Frankly, I disagree with 90% of it. The scrutiny being heaped upon Rory is wide-ranging, inconsistent, and often irrational. For instance, throughout the week, many people applauded the strategy McIlroy employed. When he came up one stroke short in the end, though, the discourse quickly shifted to, “He wasn’t aggressive enough. He didn’t go out there and take it.”

Rory McIlroy has a track record of costing himself trophies by making unforced errors and course-management mistakes. That’s not the story of the 2023 U.S. Open. When I reflect on McIlroy coming up just one stroke short of winning his fifth major championship, five momebnts come to mind.

1) On Saturday, Rory botched a straightforward chip from the fairway after coming up short left on the par-3 fourth hole. Then he missed the 10-footer for par.

2) Two holes later, he failed to convert another straightforward up-and-down from a favorable location in the green-side bunker on the semi-drivable sixth hole. He settled for par.

3) Another two holes later, he hit his 230-yard second shot from the fairway into the barranca on the scorable par-5 eighth hole and did not get up and down. His par cost him more than a half of a stroke to the field.

4) In Sunday’s round, Rory faced a simple “two-putt birdie” scenario from just off the green on the eighth hole. He left the lag four feet short and missed the birdie attempt.

5) In arguably his worst executional mistake, Rory hit a poor wedge on the 14th hole in the final round that found the fescue around a bunker. His ensuing bogey cost him a full stroke to the field average.

Winning a major championship is incredibly difficult. You cannot afford many mistakes, whether strategic or executional. Yet nobody is perfect across four days of play. The beauty of a sound tactical strategy is that it gives you enough opportunities to overcome a few mistakes, as long as the mistakes are not massive. Rory had the strong game plan required to win, and he’s as talented as any player in the field. When an elite player has a sharp plan, success comes down to execution. Had he converted on one or two of those five opportunities, we’d be talking about how Rory McIlroy’s brilliant strategy helped him triumph over a decade of underperformance and mental demons in major championships. Instead, we’re grasping at straws to explain how Rory McIlroy choked away another tournament.

I don’t think the root cause of this unfortunate turn in the discourse is that everyone feels the need to have a “hot take.” Rather, much like we only hear from the professional golfers who hated LACC, ideas at either end of an extreme tend to be the ones that bubble up into public debate. Rory would be wise to refrain from second-guessing himself, and he should trust the strides he’s made in his approach to attacking golf courses.

I suspect that he will.