Lee Trevino weighs in on Rory McIlroy’s US Open meltdown

Six-time major champion Lee Trevino has offered some advice to Rory McIlroy, as another major season passes him by.

McIlroy said his US Open horror show in June, which saw him pipped at the line at Pinehurst, was one of the toughest days in the 35-year-old’s professional career.

But Trevino, 84, insists the Northern Irishman played “extremely well” and should be ‘proud’ of his effort behind Bryson DeChambeau.

“You finished second,” he said, speaking to Michael Breed on ‘A New Breed of Golf’ show on Sirius XM.

“What the hell? You could’ve finished third or fourth or fifth, you know? Be proud of what you did.

“He played extremely well.”

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Trevino, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981 and regarded as one of the game’s greatest players, had his fair share of near misses in the ‘Big Four’.

The American finished inside the top five on seven occasions in major championships, filling second place at the 1980 Open and 1985 PGA Championship.

McIlroy – and his caddie Harry Diamond – came in for heavy criticism following the defeat in North Carolina, where the four-time major champ was left to rue missed putts on holes 16 and 18.

And the defining moment on the final hole was the “hardest putt in the world,” Trevino sympathised.

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“People don’t understand that,” he said. “People saw him miss that 4-foot putt really poorly on 18, but you have to understand — that thing was slick, and it broke right.

“And the problem with that putt is you can’t hit it hard enough to hold the line. Because if you hit it hard enough to hold the line and miss it, in other words, it’s going to go 8 feet by.

“It’s a very difficult putt that he had. Yeah, it was unfortunate. Unfortunate.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.