GOLF chiefs have admitted blundering over a ruling on Rory McIlroy as he lost out in an agonising US Open finale.

Wyndham Clark went on to beat the Brit by ONE SHOT amid a thrilling final round at the Los Angeles Country Club earlier this month.

But in different circumstances a decision by rules official Courtney Myrhum on the 14th hole could have proved costly.

USGA chief governance officer Thomas Pagel has revealed McIlroy was wrongly given a free drop.

The Northern Ireland superstar struggled to find his third shot after it embedded in long grass on the inside edge of a bunker.

And when McIlroy did locate it, Myrhum got her verdict wrong – enabling him to drop the ball into a slightly better position.

Pagel told Sports Illustrated: “The nearest point of relief was mis-identified – it should have been directly behind the ball.

“If there’s no area immediately behind the ball, you go to the nearest point in the general area. 

“But if you look at where the ball was embedded, there was a grassy area below and that should have been the starting point.”

Pagel stressed Myrhum was an “an extremely well-qualified referee and she did everything in her judgment where to operate the drop”.

In any case the difference was only about 18 inches.

And ultimately it was a Major error with minor consequences.

That’s because McIlroy failed to get his ball up and down, meaning he recorded a bogey six.

After that, the 34-year-old was unable to notch any birdies – handing Clark the narrowest of victories.

Ironically, Pagel’s confession follows eagle-eyed viewers claiming the American moved the ball when lining up a swing on that crucial back nine.

Had officials spotted and agreed with that verdict, Clark would almost certainly have been penalised by a title-turning two shots.