Rory McIlroy was given a lesson in accepting defeat by Akshay Bhatia two weeks after throwing away a golden chance to win the US Open. McIlroy was two strokes up with five holes to play but went on to make three bogies, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to leapfrog him to the title.
The 35-year-old missed par putts within four feet on two occasions, derailing his hopes of victory after overhauling a three-shot overnight deficit. McIlroy was understandably gutted as he watched DeChambeau hole the decisive putt from the clubhouse before storming off without congratulating his rival.
McIlroy was widely criticised for showing a lack of sportsmanship by refusing to acknowledge DeChambeau’s victory and skipping his media duties. He was shown up on Sunday by Bhatia, who delivered a masterclass in accepting defeat after losing at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Bhatia missed a birdie putt on the final hole before failing with the par attempt, which allowed Cam Davis to win the tournament for the second time in four years. Rather than storming off as McIlroy did, Bhatia was gracious in defeat as he put his disappointment to one side and spoke to the media.
Reflecting on the painful manner of his choke on the last hole, he said: “That green’s old school, so a lot of slope, downhill left to right. It’s a tricky putt just to get the speed correct and I did such a good job all day of my speed being really good until that last hole.
McIlroy, meanwhile, has confirmed that he will be taking some time away from golf after being left heartbroken by his failure to win the US Open. He admitted last month that it was one of the toughest days of his career and belatedly congratulated DeChambeau on his victory.
