Rory McIlroy will take “a few weeks away from the game to process everything” after his gut-wrenching final round of the US Open.
The Northern Irishman missed two short putts in the closing stages at Pinehurst on Sunday to see a first major title in 10 years agonisingly slip away.
He posted on X on Monday evening: “Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer. Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson [DeChambeau]. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.
“As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.
“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.
“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”
McIlroy was in mid-air on his plane home within an hour of signing his card at the end of Sunday’s gut-wrenching round, and how long it takes him to get over the disappointment remains to be seen.
In 20 previous top-10 finishes in major championships since his last victory in the 2014 US PGA, McIlroy has never had the title within his grasp with just a handful of holes to play in the manner that he did on Sunday.
McIlroy is the first player to finish in the top 10 at six consecutive US Opens since Jack Nicklaus from 1977-82 – and the first to do so without winning any of them since Jack Hobens from 1905-10.
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Paul McGinley, the Europe captain at the 2014 Ryder Cup, said of McIlroy’s performance: “That element of doubt came in. He started backing away, which he never does. He took a little more time over the putts, which he never does.
“That’s pressure and he succumbed to it,” McGinley added. “[It’s] a devastating loss for any player, not just Rory. It’s absolutely devastating. Rory has faltered coming down the stretch.”