Rory McIlroy shown up by Akshay Bhatia as gesture leaves golf star red-faced

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 criticized 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.

“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer,” wrote McIlroy on X, formerly Twitter. “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.

“As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the two 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. “As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again. “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.”