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Rory McIlroy experienced one of the worst moments of his career on Sunday at the US Open when he missed a seemingly easy shot on the final hole, losing the title by a single stroke. The criticism was immediate, but the Irishman received an unexpected defense from one of his biggest rivals, Spanish golfer Jon Rahm.
McIlroy performed exceptionally at the US Open. With the exception of the second round, where he finished with 72 strokes, he played the rest of the tournament at par. The Irishman still led the tournament by two strokes after the first 13 holes of the final round and reached the final flag one stroke ahead of his closest pursuer, Bryson DeChambeau.
On the final hole, a par 5, McIlroy left the ball about four feet from the hole. He just needed to hole out to make the birdie and secure the title. However, the pressure and the terrain got the better of McIlroy, who missed the shot, leaving the door open for DeChambeau to win the crown.
Controversy has surrounded McIlroy ever since, with analysts scrutinizing the fateful shot from all angles. Many do not understand how a shot that seemed safe missed. For them, Rahm provided a detailed explanation that clarifies the dilemma that even some analysts couldn't grasp and that McIlroy had to solve on the fly.
Jon Rahm's defense
In a press conference before LIV Golf's Nashville tournament, Rahm not only explained in great detail the difficulty of McIlroy's shot but also criticized the commentators for not properly evaluating the degree of complexity of the play.
"One of the things that absolutely burned me," Rahm complained, "and I think it was (NBC's) Smylie (Kaufman) who said it, he severely underplayed how difficult Rory's putt on 18 was."
"When he said it's a left-center putt, if you hit that putt left-center and miss the hole, you're off the green because of how much slope there is," detailed the Spaniard. "You could see Rory aiming at least a cup left from three feet. They severely underplayed how difficult that putt was. Severely."
Rahm argued that unless you've played that course, No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, you can't evaluate how difficult it is. However, he did not entirely blame the commentators either, as he understood that "they only have those five seconds to say something quickly, so I also don't blame them."
How is Rahm's injury progressing?
Regarding his health, the Spaniard said he was ready to play in Nashville. He explained that the infection he suffered between two toes on his left foot has improved. The injury, Rahm noted, has not fully healed but is at least manageable.
He explained that he withdrew from his last two tournaments, LIV Golf Houston and the US Open, to avoid aggravating his condition. "I had and just to be precautionary towards not making it worse and seeing what steps I can take to prevent that from happening in the future."
He ruled out that competing in Nashville could cause him to relapse, but itted that he is still in recovery. "A lot of things to follow up from what happened to make sure it heals properly and it doesn't happen again," said Jon Rahm.