USGA rules official: We got it wrong with Rory McIlroy at U.S. Open

According to a report by SI, Rory McIlroy took an incorrect drop during the final round of the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Ben Smith

27 Jun 2023

USGA rules official: We got it wrong with Rory McIlroy at U.S. Open

Rory McIlroy was put on full blast by some of his critics after the fourth round of the U.S. Open which prompted Tiger Woods' old coach to leap to his defence.

The reason? The Irishman was involved in a sticky situation on the 14th hole at Los Angeles Country Club.

At the time McIlroy was very much in contention and was in all likelihood dreaming of breaking his nine-year major drought.

McIlroy came unstuck when his approach from 125 yards came up a bit short and his TP5x found the lip of the bunker.

After a few minutes, McIlroy found his golf ball and it was deemed embedded. He was given a drop and went on to make bogey.

By day's end, he finished one shot behind Wyndham Clark and was left to rue a frozen putter once again.

Now it has been confirmed that McIlroy's nearest point of relief was misidentified, per a report by SI's Bob Harig.

USGA rules official, Thomas Pagel, told Harig:

"The nearest point of relief was mis-identified; it should have been directly behind the ball.

"If there's no area immediately behind the ball, you go to nearest point in the general area. But if you look at where the ball was embedded, there was a grassy area below and that should have been the starting point.

"His ball was 100 percent embedded. And an embedded ball not in sand is entitled to relief. Now Rory did everything at the discretion of the referee. In her discretion, her judgment was that the reference point for relief was to the side of the ball. And from a ruling standpoint, that’s the end of the story."

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Pagel was referring to Courtney Myrhum, who has officiated in more than 60 USGA championships including U.S. Opens, U.S. Women's Opens, U.S. Senior Opens and U.S Amateurs between 2011-2019.

He said Myrhum did 'everything in her judgment' where to operate the drop and McIlroy wasn't doing 'anything to gain an advantage'.

McIlroy was in the headlines once again after he competed in the Travelers Championship a week after the U.S. Open.

He claimed the venue of the PGA Tour event, TPC River Highlands, was 'obsolete' owing to the crazy-low scoring.

The Ulsterman was one of the lone voices to back the USGA, R&A's proposal to rollback the golf ball in elite professional golf.

Our Andy Roberts reckons McIlroy needs to make up his mind.

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