Rory McIlroy breaks silence following US Open heartache with Northern Irishman set to take break after 'probably the toughest day I’ve had'

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after finishing the 18th hole during the final round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 16, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Thirteen years after winning his first US Open and maiden major at Congressional – and 3,599 days since winning the 2014 US PGA – McIlroy looked set to finally get back in the winner’s circle when he led by two shots with five holes to play.

However, the Northern Irishman shockingly missed from two feet and six inches for par on the 16th and less than four feet on the 18th to suffer another devastating loss to Bryson DeChambeau.

He’d been due to return at the Travelers Championship this week, but the 35-year-old will now take a break ahead of next month’s Scottish Open and The Open Championship at Troon, which provides McIlroy with another chance to end his decade-long wait for glory on golf’s biggest stage.

"Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. 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 two missed putts on 16 and 18 at 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.”