This is a heartbreak that will be felt throughout Rory McIlroy's lifetime. The elite golfer from the PGA Tour could not bear the intensity of his fumble at the US Open Championships. So, he went straight home and did not talk to the media. Instead of the coveted cup in Pinehurst ending up in his arms, Bryson DeChambeau took it home in such a clutch fashion while Patrick Cantlay also chased the legend from Northern Ireland.

Everything was under Rory McIlroy's control at the final three holes of this year's US Open. He and Bryson DeChambeau were exchanging haymakers and the the Northern Irelander even had luck on his side. DeChambeau could not find the fairway to save his life. One of his last shots was placed at a tree root and another was at a bunker. As fate and history would have it, the outcome was not expected.

Rory McIlroy ended up succumbing to the pressure. The PGA Tour star could not get two big putts to sink down the cup. To put how terrible this was in perspective, these shots were all not more than four feet from the hole. One of them was a 2 1/2 putt for par on the 16th and the other was a four-footer on the 18th. All he could do was grimace at how awful those strokes were. Understandably, people were also in a state of shock and dismay after this massive US Open choke job.

The swallow. The dropped head. This one is going to hurt Rory McIlroy for a while. And understandably so. Hard to not feel for the guy.

I’m afraid to say, this one will haunt Rory McIlroy forever. Poor club choices in the final stretch and those two missed putts. Heartbreaking.

Yes it is. I was so devastated for Rory. I turned off the tv and my phone for a while. I am a Toronto Maple Leaf fan and a Rory McIlroy fan and it sucks big time. But I still love that dude and I will continue to cheer for him.

An intense US Open battle for first

Jun 16, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Rory McIlroy reacts after a missed putt on the eighteenth green during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
© John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

While a lot of avid US Open spectators understood and wallowed in the same pain as McIlroy, others were just elated at Bryson DeChambeau's performance at Pinehurst. He even got a lot of praise for going shot for shot against the Northern Ireland legend.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU HAS WON HIS SECOND U.S. OPEN. BATTLE OF A LIFETIME VS. RORY MCILROY ENDS WITH AN UP-AND-DOWN OF A LIFETIME FROM THE BUNKER. WHAT A WEEK. WHAT A FINISH. PINEHURST DELIVERS!!!!!!!!

That up and down 18 was epic . He deserved it wanted it more. Rory is rory. Always seems to find a way to miss a shot chip and today a needed putt . He will always be bridesmaid for the most part . Just lacks that clutch consistency as winning anything is so so hard.

There are a lot of emotions for the PGA Tour star to process after giving up that big lead in Pinehurst. He is yet to experience success again but this US Open championship run was the closest he has been in quite a while. But, as time has proven, he will bounce back from this and still catch fire on the course.