Rory McIlroy is confident of bouncing back from his major heartbreak and says he will learn a lot from narrowly missing out on US Open victory last month.
McIlroy briefly held a two-shot lead with five holes to play at Pinehurst No 2 but bogeyed three of the last four, missing two putts from inside four feet to allow Bryson DeChambeau to snatch a one-shot victory.
The runner-up finish was his second in as many years at a US Open and 21st top-10 in majors since his last success at the 2014 PGA Championship, with McIlroy keen to take positives from disappointment going into his Genesis Scottish Open title defence and The Open next week at Royal Troon.
Rory McIlroy will be among the favourites for The 152nd Open, live from July 18 on Sky Sports
“I look back on that day, just like I look back on some of my toughest moments in my career,” McIlroy said in his press conference ahead of his title defence at the Genesis Scottish Open, live on Sky Sports. “I’ll learn a lot from it and I’ll hopefully put that to good use.
“It’s something that’s been a bit of a theme throughout my career. I’ve been able to take those tough moments and turn them into great things not very long after that.”
McIlroy made a bogey-free start at the US Open and followed his opening-round 65 with rounds of 72 and 69 to get within three strokes of DeChambeau going into the final day, where he made four birdies in a five-hole stretch before finishing second after the expensive finish.
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Rory McIlroy watches on heartbroken as Bryson DeChambeau putts to win the US Open
“I think the way I’ve described Pinehurst on Sunday was like it was a great day until it wasn’t,” McIlroy explained. “I did things on that Sunday that I haven’t been able to do in the last couple years.
“Took control of the golf tournament. Held putts when I needed to. Well, mostly when I needed to. Made birdies. You know, really got myself in there. Look, obviously unfortunately to miss those last two putts.
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Highlights from a thrilling final round of the US Open at Pinehurst No 2
“Yeah, it was a tough day. It was a tough few days after that, obviously. But I think as you get further away from it happening, you start to see the positives and you start to see all the good things that you did throughout the week.”
What did McIlroy do after the US Open?
McIlroy withdrew from the Travelers Championship the following week to “process everything and build himself up” for his title defence in Scotland and his latest major start at The Open, with the 35-year-old spending a few days in Manhattan to reflect on his US Open performance.
“It was nice to sort of blend in with the city a little bit,” McIlroy revealed. “I walked around. I walked the High Line a couple of times. I made a few phone calls. Sort of was alone with my thoughts for a couple days, which was good.
“I had some good chats with people close to me. As you start to think about not just Sunday at Pinehurst but the whole way throughout the week, there was a couple of things that I noticed I wanted to try to work on coming into here and obviously next week at Troon.
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Nick Faldo and Wayne Riley were baffled by some of the decisions Rory McIlroy was making towards the end of his final round of the US Open, which he lost by one shot to Bryson DeChambeau
“They were hard but at the same time, as each day went by, it became easier to focus on the positives and then to think about the future instead of what had just happened.”
McIlroy, who won his first major title in the 2011 US Open just two months after blowing a four-shot lead in The Masters, added: “I still think about the short missed putt that I missed at Crans-sur-Sierre in 2008 in a play-off. You think about all of them.
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Jamie Weir discusses Rory McIlroy’s US Open heartbreak and whether he can bounce back from the disappointment to contend at next month’s Open Championship
“I was probably more devastated after that because it was my rookie year on Tour – I hadn’t won yet. I remember feeling really bad after that for like a good week. I stewed on what happened at Pinehurst for a couple of days, but then thankfully I can go home and look at what I’ve achieved in the game and sort of feel okay about myself.
“Look, it was a great opportunity. It passed me by but hopefully when I get that next opportunity, it won’t pass me by.”
Watch Rory McIlroy in PGA Tour and DP World Tour action live this season on Sky Sports. Watch the Genesis Scottish Open live on Thursday from 8.30am on Sky Sports Golf, before the 152nd Open at Royal Troon from July 18-21. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more with NOW.
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