Golf chiefs have admitted a huge blunder was made during the final round of the US Open, with Rory McIlroy benefitting from the error.
United States Golf Association (USGA) chief governance officer Thomas Pagel has stated that McIlroy was given an incorrect relief measurement from an embedded lie. McIlroy was entitled to free relief after his ball got lodged above a bunker, but the point of relief was "mis-identified".
As a result, McIlroy was able to continue from a slightly better position and the error could have proved crucial in the outcome of the major. However, the 34-year-old ultimately missed out on winning a fifth major by just one shot as Wyndham Clark secured a shock victory.
