Ewan Murray in Los Angeles
Sun Jun 18 2023 – 12:17
Eighteen holes sit between Rickie Fowler or Rory McIlroy and one of golf’s great redemption stories. It sounds and looks so blissfully simple.
It would be utter folly, of course, to insist the 123rd US Open is now the domain of only two competitors. It is just that Fowler or McIlroy would deliver the finest tales. The $3.6 million first prize would be irrelevant to both. This is about status, reputation and a return to golf’s top table.
Fowler’s career slump, from an earlier position of challenging for these titles as routine, took him to 185th in the world. The 34-year-old Californian is chasing the maiden Major win that once looked inevitable.
McIlroy’s scenario is altogether different but no less fascinating. His wait for what would be a fifth M …