Jon Rahm defends Rory McIlroy and points blame at key figure after US Open misery

Jon Rahm has defended Rory McIlroy after his US Open collapse

Jon Rahm has defended Rory McIlroy following his late US Open misses that left the LIV Golf star "absolutely burned." The Northern Ireland ace missed two close-range putts in his final few holes at Pinehurst, giving Bryson DeChambeau the opportunity to claim his second Major title.

McIlroy was forced to watch as a superb sand save from his American rival dashed any hopes of a playoff rescuing his chances. He left the course shortly after his disappointment was confirmed, declined media opportunities, and is set to take a break from the sport.

Rahm has come to McIlroy's defense amidst some harsh criticism. He believes that the difficulty of the 35-year-old's costly putt on the 18th was "severely underplayed" in the media and he understood how McIlroy was not able to get over the line - while expressing his frustration at the wide reaction to the agonizing near-miss.

"One of the things that absolutely burned me, and I think it was (NBC's) Smylie (Kaufman) who said it, he severely underplayed how difficult Rory's putt on 18 was," Rahm said before a LIV Golf event in Nashville.

"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. You could see Rory aiming for at least a cup left from three feet. They severely underplayed how difficult that putt was. Severely," reports the Express.

"I think that can happen a few times where unless you've been there on the golf course and you're playing it or you've played it, it's hard to truly explain how difficult the golf course can be, and a lot of times they only have those five seconds to say something quickly, so I also don't blame them."

Rahm, despite missing the tournament himself due to a foot infection, refused to criticize McIlroy for his painful blunders, hinting at a likely comeback from the golf pro at the Scottish Open next month. McIlroy, who has recently been through personal upheavals such as filing for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll and then withdrawing the petition just before the US Open, has spoken out about the difficulties he is facing, confirming his decision to take a break from golf.

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He declared on social media: "I'm going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon."

Addressing the pressure after a difficult day, McIlroy said: "Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I've had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer. Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that."

Reflecting on his performance, Rory mentioned, "As I reflect on my week, I'll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I'll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives."

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