Almost always, Rory McIlroy seems to be one good putt away from a victory. It has become a norm for the Northern Irishman that he falters under the pressures and someone else eventually takes up the title. It has been happening far too often that the 35-year-old has now become the center of the joke in the 2024 presidential election.

At the ABC News This Week roundtable, the former RNC Chair and WH Chief of Staff for Donald Trump, Reince Priebus, criticized Kamala Harrison and said, “She bombed like Rory [McIlroy] at the US Open.” People on social media laughed at how McIlroy was caught in the political drama and mocked unnecessarily. So, let’s relive the top 5 moments when McIlroy missed out on a victory putt.

1. 2024 US Open

On Pinehurst No. 2, Rory McIlroy put himself in a position to answer all the questions and win a major championship after 10 years. His last major victory was at the 2014 PGA Championship. And he was only inches close to the next, but fate didn’t favor the 35-year-old. At the 2024 US Open, McIlroy was playing ahead of Bryson DeChambeau. On the par-4 18th hole, McIlroy reached the green in the third shot, but on the fourth one, he missed the par putt and instead ended up with a bogey.

However, DeChambeau, who made an up and down from the greenside bunker, did not miss it, and as McIlroy watched from the TV room, his chance of a playoff and an eventual win drained. The heartbreak was worse than ever that the Northern Irishman didn’t meet the media but posted on X the next day, congratulating the US Open winner and calling the final round the ‘toughest day’ of his career.

2. 2024 Irish Open

The missed putt curse in the 2024 season did not stop at the US Open. As every golfer has one event they have to play, for McIlroy, it is the Irish Open. He has played the event before but never in his hometown at the Royal County Down. The chances were to make it memorable by winning in front of the home crowd, but even after a 54-hole lead, the Northern Irishman didn’t win.

On the final day, McIlroy seemed to be fumbling. A few birdies and bogeys in the 17 holes put the 4-time major winner just a stroke behind Rasmus Hojgaard, who was watching him at 18th. Once again, McIlroy approached the green as perfectly as he could. But he needed to make a 10-foot eagle on the par-5 72nd hole, and his ball turned right at the worst moment. It was agonizing for McIlroy and his fans as the ‘choker’ title was back to haunt him. He dejectedly expressed, “Unfortunately, I’m getting used to it this year.”

3. 2020 Tokyo Olympics

He could have been an Olympic medalist if he made it through this playoff hole. At the 2020 [2021] Tokyo Olympics, Rory McIlroy had the first chance to contend for a medal. McIlroy was in a seven-way tie at -15 after the four rounds. He entered the playoffs against C.T. Pan, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, Paul Casey, Mito Pereira, and Sebastian Munoz. Unlike Casey and the Japanese pro, McIlroy pulled through the first two playoff holes, but he lost at the third.

It was a disappointing finish, as he lost a chance to win a bronze for Great Britain and Ireland. He later said, “I’ve been saying all day I never tried so hard in my life to finish third.” And added that he was looking for a medal in the Paris Games, but he didn’t win any even there and finished T5.

4. 2022 Dubai Desert Classic

The first-ever event Rory McIlroy won on the DP World Tour was the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic. From then onwards, it has been the tournament in which McIlroy always participates, as he did in 2022 too. At that time, McIlroy was already a 2-time winner of the event and was expected to grasp the third trophy. Viktor Hovland and Richard Bland had concluded their rounds at 12 under, and it was all on McIlroy to finish with a birdie and take the win.

However, just when McIlroy took the approach for the green, he foresaw that his ball was going to get drowned in the pond near the 18th green. And that happened. McIlroy still had a chance to make a par for a 3-man playoff, but he missed and posted a bogey six. It was disastrous, as McIlroy was visibly angry and stormed out of the Emirates Club. However, fortunately, he won the Dubai Desert Classic two more times after that in 2023 and 2024.

5. 2010 PGA Championship

Everyone remembers the first, and when it comes after leading the opening round, it becomes better. Only if it is Rory McIlroy may the outcome turn differently. In 2010, the then-20-year-old McIlroy was aiming to become the youngest major winner. And he put all of his work out to get his first Wanamaker Trophy. He came at the 72nd par-4 hole of the Whistling Strait and had to do only one thing to make it to the playoff with Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer: make a birdie.

However, McIlroy missed it. Probably, that was the time when the 35-year-old started the first of his Sunday missed putt curses. Nonetheless, he still won a major that year, the 2011 US Open, and quenched his thirst for a huge victory.

McIlroy has been a household name in golf for more than a decade, a decade of no majors. With his near-miss losses to incredible victories, the Northern Irishman will have another chance to win a major five months from now. The question is, will he be able to get it done?