Another major tournament, another close-but-not-quite finish for Rory McIlroy. A four-time major champion by the age of 25, it's now been almost nine years since he last won one of the big four events, and he went agonizingly close once again at the 2023 US Open. And an obscure stat points to the issue which ultimately cost him a fifth major on Sunday.

McIlroy managed just a solitary birdie in his final round after entering it a shot behind the lead, and it came on the first hole. That he was able to finish second despite not managing a birdie for the last 17 holes is a feat in itself, and unsurprisingly hasn't been particularly common over the years. In fact, he's only the second player in the last two decades to finish top five with their only final round birdie coming at the opening hole, with the other being Phil Mickelson back in 2010.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Jhonattan Vegas on the fifth hole green during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow.
Jhonattan Vegas rides lucky rake into PGA Championship weekend
Bryson DeChambeau walks up to the fifth green during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow.
Bryson DeChambeau Catches ‘Weird Breaks’ at PGA Championship
Max Homa walks up to the fifteenth hole fairway during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow
Max Homa near par-4 ace vaults into PGA Championship contention

McIlroy was able to go so close to winning despite an obvious lack of birdies by putting together a very consistent round, with just a solitary bogey and a huge 16 pars after that opening hole birdie. Unfortunately for the 34-year-old, however, that proved to be just shy of what he needed.

Eventual winner Wyndham Clark certainly showed some signs of fallibility down the stretch with bogeys at 15 and 16, but with McIlroy unable to find that elusive birdie (or two), he couldn't catch the man who led throughout nearly the entirety of the final round. Playing par golf on the final day of a major is no mean feat, but as has happened so many times over the past near-decade, it was just short of what Rory McIlroy needed.