Legendary caddie Billy Foster believes Rory McIlroy’s agonising collapse at last year’s US Open was the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the four-time major winner and can be the catalyst that spurs the Northern Irishman on to end his 11-year major drought.
It was an agonising moment for McIlroy, who slumped over a table in the player’s lounge at Pinehurst having let victory slip through his fingers.
After bogeying three of the last four holes on the final day, the Northern Irishman was forced to settle for a runner’s-up finish, with LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau usurping him by a single shot.
McIlroy conceded that ‘the few days after the tournament were pretty tough at times’ but admitted that he moved on from it ‘pretty quickly’.
Having battled with issues in his swing over the past few years while also being at the centre of golf’s civil war, McIlroy has had a lot to deal with which many believe has had an impact on his ability to win majors.
But Foster has outlined how the Northern Irishman can finally end his major drought.
Rory McIlroy’s agonising US Open finish can be a catalyst for success in 2025, says one legendary caddie
Billy Foster has claimed that McIlroy’s (pictured) US Open anguish will be the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the four-time major champion
Foster claimed that Rory needs to just be himself in order to finally break his 11 year major duck
‘What he needs to do to win a major is he just needs to play like Rory McIlroy does,’ the legendary caddie said, speaking to Genting Casino.
‘What happened to him at the US Open last year will have really hurt him.
“I’ve been there before. I’m not a player but I’ve been involved in many situations in major championships where you potentially go home in tears.
‘I’m sure Rory did and it hurt him tremendously for months after. I think it would be good for him now and I think he’ll come out stronger and I believe he will win a Major this year.’
His runner-up finish at Pinehurst means McIlroy has now finished second at four majors since he won his last title at the Open back in 2014.
But for Foster, the low of coming so close to breaking that duck is a massive lesson for McIlroy.
‘I think that experience will be the final nail in the coffin,’ Foster, who has caddied for major winners Seve Ballesteros, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick over the years.
‘I think it will make him stronger. I don’t think it will be a negative.’
It comes as the 35-year-old has started the 2025 season in flying form.
McIlroy ended 2024 on a high, picking up his sixth Race To Dubai title, despite the woe he experienced at Pinehurst
Foster (left, with Matt Fitzpatrick) has worked with many major winners in the past, and believes McIlroy can also win the Masters this year
McIlroy has enjoyed success already in 2025, picking up his first win of the year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
He came into the year having clinched his sixth Race To Dubai title before proceeding to spend the festive period ‘working on having fun’ with his friends and family. McIlroy opened up on going to New Zealand for some time with his family while also heading off to watch Borussia Dortmund play.
The TGL also appears to have given McIlroy a big boost too. No doubt the pressures of pulling off such a unique and unprecedented feat alongside his good mate Tiger Woods will have weighed on him. But the league has been excellent and its success has been noted far and wide.
Then comes his victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where McIlroy claimed his first win of the year with a dominant performance, to wrap up proceedings two shots clear of Shane Lowry, who placed second.
But with the Masters now 49 days away, the talk will now turn to whether McIlroy can finally clinch the coveted Green Jacket – a trophy that has excruciatingly eluded him for the entirety of his career.
‘McIlroy can definitely win the Masters,’ Foster insisted.
‘I mean the way he finished last year and the way he’s come out this year, even if you look at Pebble Beach — if it’s the Rory of old just wanging that driver down that last hole.
‘He had a two or three-shot lead and he thought, you know, I’ll hit an iron down there and laid it up and hit it on and won the tournament comfortably.
‘Maybe there was an argument that he might have done that at the US Open but you know I think that experience will be really positive for him. I think he’ll definitely win a major this year and at the end of the day, it was the two-foot putt that did him on the 16th. That cost him the US Open. It really rattled him. You could see that.
Foster (pictured left with Seve Ballesteros) stated that if McIlroy can continue his form at the end of last season into 2025 he can go on to clinch success
He added the experience of not winning the US Open will ‘make McIlroy a lot stronger’
Foster, meanwhile, added that Bryson DeChambeau could stand in McIlroy’s way at Augusta this year
‘I think it’ll be the experience that’ll make him a lot stronger and I believe he’ll definitely win a major this year. He’s too good.’
But McIlroy won’t be without competition.
While there are plenty of golfers coming into form at the beginning of 2025, Foster believes DeChambeau is one player who could stand in McIlroy’s way at Augusta this year.
‘If you look at Bryson before leaving for LIV to what he is now, I mean, he has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse!’ He said to Genting Csaino.
‘He’s gone from being probably not the most popular player to, arguably, the most popular player in the world. He’s been a YouTube sensation and he gives the spectators and the fans so much time at these events.
‘He stays behind for hours signing stuff, for kids and people and he’s given a lot to the game and it’s been great to see to be quite honest.
‘Can he win the Masters? Absolutely he can. He’s one of the world’s elite players and his extra length is a massive advantage for him.’
