2024 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy aiming to convert latest major opportunity after string of near-victories

McIlroy will be three strokes off the lead when he starts his final round at Pinehurst No. 2

By Chip Patterson Jun 16, 2024 at 2:52 am ET• 3 min read

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Rory McIlroy has not won a major championship in a decade. It's been a long slog featuring numerous close calls, including two second-place finishes in the last two years alone. On Sunday, McIlroy will begin his final round at the 2024 U.S. Open with a chance to finally break through if he can convert a winning opportunity into a trophy-hoisting victory. 

McIlroy has finished in the top-10 a whopping 20 times since his last major win, the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. And while some of those finishes have come amid ultra-low Sunday rounds leading to backdoor finishes up the leaderboard, it's been Rory's proximity to the winner's circle in recent years that's made his major drought particularly frustrating.

Five of McIlroy's last 10 major starts have resulted in a finish of T6 or better, including a runner-up in last year's U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. That most closely mirrors the situation that McIlroy will face on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2. He'll be in the penultimate group like he was last year, and he'll be paired with another of the game's top talents in Patrick Cantlay after playing alongside Scottie Scheffler in 2023.

The goal will be the same: chase down the leader with a score that breaks par to put pressure on the final group as they work their way towards the clubhouse. McIlroy was not able to accomplish that last year, picking up a birdie on the first hole and a bogey on the 14th for an even par final round of 70 before falling to the eventual winner Wyndham Clark by one shot.