Wayne Riley confident 'tough cookie' Rory McIlroy can bounce back from US Open disappointment

Sky Sports pundit Wayne Riley is confident “tough cookie” Rory McIlroy can put Sunday’s US Open disappointment behind him, but feels the Northern Irishman let a fifth major title slip through his fingers.

The 35-year-old looked in pole position to end a decade-long wait for glory on golf’s biggest stage, but two shock misses in the closing stages allowed Bryson DeChambeau to lift his second US Open crown.

"He just wasn’t up to it...he missed two short putts and he should be holing them,” said Riley. “There was nothing wrong with the greens.

"It surprises everybody that he can miss those shots because he has been there and done it before, winning all sorts of championships and four majors.

"Will this hurt Rory McIlroy in the future? I hope not. That was sad to watch.”

Sunday marked McIlroy’s sixth consecutive top-10 finish at the US Open – he’s now finished second two years on the trot – and Dame Laura Davies feels it could have a lingering impact

"It shows how hard it is to win a golf tournament, never mind the US Open in the hardest test they’ve probably had for many years,” she said on Sky Sports. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way at the end.

"It’s so difficult...will it hurt him? It really could do because it’s such a disappointing loss.

"We all thought he had it. Bryson came back and put the pressure on him – it’s all about pressure. Unfortunately he will be remembered for the two putts, but he played unbelievably to get to four-under on his round.

"He will win one at some point – we know he will – but this is hard to take for him I’m sure.”

However, Riley has watched McIlroy put low moments behind him before and believes he can do it once again.

"Rory has been in some situations before – he was very upset at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits and bounced straight back,” he added. “He’s a tough cookie.

"You don’t get to being Rory McIlroy, the best golfer on the planet for however long, he’ll be fine with this, but it was number five and he had it right there – it just slipped through his fingers.”