Rory McIlroy’s shocking short-range misses at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst have raised questions about whether he can recover from such a trauma after almost a decade without winning at the highest level. But history shows that recovery is possible, with examples like Lew Worsham and Sam Snead, who bounced back after tough losses to contend for major titles again. Snead missed a crucial putt in the 1947 U.S. Open playoff but went on to win five majors and have numerous top-10 finishes, proving that one missed opportunity doesn’t define a career.
Similarly, Doug Sanders missed a crucial shot on the 72nd hole of the 1970 Open Championship but continued to perform well in other tournaments and record top-10 finishes in the next two Opens. Even though he never won another major, Sanders showed that it’s possible to bounce back from a devastating miss. Hubert Green is another example of a player who missed a key putt in the 1978 Masters but went on to have a successful career, winning a second Grand Slam title at the 1985 PGA Championship.
Scott Hoch had two tough misses at the 1987 PGA Championship and 1989 Masters, but he continued to perform well in majors, recording 13 top-10 finishes. Dustin Johnson’s experience at the 2015 U.S. Open, where he missed a putt on the 72nd green to lose by one shot, but returned the following year to win the tournament, is also encouraging for McIlroy. Johnson has gone on to record 13 other top-10 finishes in majors, including a victory at the 2020 Masters, showing that one tough miss doesn’t define a career.
In 2011, McIlroy had a slow collapse at the Masters but went on to win the U.S. Open two months later by eight shots. This demonstrates that McIlroy has bounced back from adversity before and shouldn’t be written off completely. The experiences of other players in golf history have shown that it’s possible to recover from tough misses and continue to compete at a high level. McIlroy has the talent and resilience to overcome his recent setbacks and return to contention for major titles in the future.
