Rory McIlroy's US Open meltdown: Paul McGinley makes 'confident' claim about Pinehurst collapse

Paul McGinley has argued that it is a lack of confidence holding Rory McIlroy back from winning his fifth career major. The Northern Ireland golfer suffered a late meltdown in Sunday's US Open to lose out to Bryson DeChambeau.

Its been a decade since McIlroy won his fourth major at the 2014 PGA Championship. He has come close on several occasions, but none will sting more than Sunday's collapse at Pinehurst.

The 35-year-old tore up the front nine, showcasing some sensational putting which resulted in four birdies in a stretch of five holes, placing him two strokes ahead of the field with five holes remaining.

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However, in the cut-throat battle with DeChambeau, McIlroy missed two short putts on the 16th and 18th holes, mistakes that ended up costing him dearly, handing the title over to his American competitor.

In a state of utter despair, McIlroy exited the course without uttering a word to the press, but the dissection of his most recent major setback continued in his absence, reports the Irish Mirror.

Even though McIlroys error-strewn finish certainly caught the attention of headline writers, Brandel Chamblee from the Golf Channel argues that its mainly about his swing rather than any mental blockage.

Chamblee said: "Rory had more pressure on him to win than anyone else in the field. The burden of expectation mounted; it was like a heavy coat on a summer day, and I think it grew a quantum leap after the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews.

"But I think the reason he has not won since then [2014 PGA Championship] is his swing simply isn't as good as it was.

"His golf swing is not in the same place as it was in 2014. It's deeper, it tends to be across the line, and it comes from the inside.

"We can infer negative attributes mentally, but the contributing factor to that more than anything is the golf swing.

He continued: "We will remember the putts on 16 and on 18, but you should go back and look at all those iron shots that he did not hit crisp enough."

Fellow analyst McGinley disagreed with Chamblee's assessment, stating his belief that McIlroy's biggest problem is his mentality: "I don't agree that it's a swing issue. If you are looking for perfection, you could say that it is a swing issue.

"He has had chances to win three majors in the last two years and he hasn't lost them because his swing deserted him at the wrong time. He lost them because his putting went slow and because when he had opportunities, he didn't seize the initiative.

"Last year at the US Open, he came back in one over par. You saw him at Quail Hollow [Wells Fargo Championship] and he just takes the opportunity and runs off into the distance and kills the opposition. There is enough golf game there to kill the opposition and win tournaments. The difference in major championships is when the initiative is presented to him, he doesn't run off.

"The initiative today was on the back of 13 when he made a birdie to go two shots ahead. He played 14 really poorly, he played 15 really poorly, he played 16, 17 and 18 really poorly.

"That was the period of time to run off into the distance, and that was not just because he lost his swing.

"Mentally, he got on the precipice of winning this tournament and instead of driving over the line, he hesitated. And if you hesitate with guys like Bryson around you, who plays with fearlessness, you have a problem."

He added: "The reason he has not won more majors is not because his game deserts him on Sunday, it is because he does not have the confidence to drive over the line like he does on PGA Tour events."

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