Rory McIlroy came up one stroke short of ending his decade-long major drought at Pinehurst on Sunday. Despite the visceral disappointment on display as he departed the parking lot without taking questions from the press, his sights are now set on Scotland with a resilient mentality.
McIlroy announced on X Monday that he will "take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon."
"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," he stated.
The four-time major champion lost the 124th U.S. Open to Bryson DeChambeau after taking three bogeys over his final four holes, which included two missed short putts on the 16th and 18th holes.
He called Sunday's round "probably the toughest I've had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer."
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) June 17, 2024
"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," he continued.
After congratulating DeChambeau, who notched his second U.S. Open title in five years, McIlroy said, "He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that."
"Rory is one of the best to ever play. Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special," DeChambeau said after his win on Sunday. "For him to miss that putt, I’d never wish it on anybody. It just happened to play out that way."
McIlroy has been at the heart of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide over the last couple of years, acting as the prominent voice for players in the U.S. organization who declined or opposed the Saudi-backed league. He, along with many fellow PGA Tour players, was blindsided last summer when Jay Monahan did a complete 180-degree pivot from banning LIV players from competition to announcing a merger with help from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The Northern Irish golfer will look to secure the final major of the season and his fifth ever later this summer on the links at Royal Troon.
