Paige Spiranac has called on fans to go easy on Rory McIlroy after his gut-wrenching miss at a major title this weekend.

McIlroy was tantalisingly close to clinching his first major trophy in a decade, leading the US Open by two strokes with just five holes remaining. However, devastatingly short putts for par on the 16th and 18th saw him lose his grip on the title as the pressure mounted on the celebrated golfer.

Bryson DeChambeau swooped in during the tense final moments of the Open, sinking a crucial four-foot putt on the 18th to secure his second major championship, following his 2020 triumph at Winged Foot in New York. Meanwhile, McIlroy’s quest for major glory remains unfulfilled since his last win at the 2014 US PGA Championship, marking a decade-long drought.

Post-tournament, it appeared the emotional toll was evident on the 35-year-old, who reportedly skipped the presentation ceremony and dodged the press. Fore Play posted a clip on social media showing McIlroy exiting the venue shortly after DeChambeau’s victory, captioning it: “Rory declined an interview and left almost immediately after the final putt dropped.”