Former PGA Tour pro turned popular NBC Sports analyst Smylie Kaufman is the latest person to offer his thoughts on where it all went wrong for Rory McIlroy at the 2024 US Open.
McIlroy stood tantalisingly close to ending his barren run of 10 years since his last Major at Pinehurst No.2 in June, knowing a tidy run through holes 15 to 18 would likely have secured a second US Open title.
However, excruciating short misses on the 16th and 18th put paid to those hopes and opened the door for Bryson DeChambeau to vanquish his own mini drought courtesy of a stunning bunker shot on the 72nd hole.
Yet, McIlroy's run of three bogeys at the sharpest end of the tournament began with a mistake on the par-3 15th - a score that could so easily have been avoided in Kaufman's opinion.
The Northern Irishman drew a seven iron out of his bag and narrowly missed his mark into the awkward green, going on to make bogey despite a decent attempt at saving par.
Speaking to GOLF’s Subpar podcast, the one-time PGA Tour winner suggested a simple change of tactic - initiated by Diamond - may have altered the course of history.
Kaufman said: “I felt like Harry Diamond really should have stepped in on the 15th hole. [McIlroy] did not have the right club in his hands. And I felt like Rory could have taken control of the championship on 15 if he just hits it in the middle of the green. He hit a good shot. But it just was the wrong club.
“Never, never was a 7-iron [the right choice] for Rory. Especially with a right flag. If the wind was down off the right, it’s not exactly a flag and a wind condition and the heat to be able to land it in a hula hoop, where you got to hit this kind of soft, spinny, fade 7-iron. It was an 8-iron all day, hit it in the middle of the green. I would say that was a huge, huge mistake."
In the days since McIlroy announced he would be taking a brief hiatus from the sport before returning next week to defend his Scottish Open title at the Renaissance Club, it has been widely debated whether or not a change in caddie might be worth considering for McIlroy if he wants to win another Major.
Kaufman stopped short of calling for the World No.2 to make a change to his bag staff but highlighted an observation that many have commented on in terms of Diamond rarely intervening or over-ruling McIlroy.
Kevin Kisner (right) and Smylie Kaufman at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open
Kaufman said: “I don’t really ever see Harry stepping in a ton. Rory always, if he has a question, he’ll ask, but for the most part, Rory kind of goes and does his thing and he’s got a lot of feel.
“In my head, as a player, when you execute a shot exactly how you’re supposed to and it ends up in a terrible spot, you have to look at, all right, what happened here. Because that’s what happened at the 15th hole.”
McIlroy is set to return for the Genesis Scottish Open - which features a $9 million purse - between July 11-14.
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