Rory McIlroy breaks silence after crushing US Open defeat

Rory McIlroy revealed he will be taking “a few weeks away” from golf in his first comments since he collapsed in the final four holes to finish behind Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open,

McIlroy had looked on court to put an end to a 10-year wait for a fifth major but crumbled under the pressure, making three bogeys in his final four holes, having overhauled a three-shot deficit.

McIlroy left before speaking to the press and was already on his way home when DeChambeau was still in his lengthy and celebratory press conference.

However, he has shared his thoughts on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “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. 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 defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.

“See you in Scotland.”

The result at the US Open was the fourth time since the US PGA Championship in 2014 that McIlroy had finished second at a major.

Shane Lowry has urged fans to be “kind” to McIlroy, after posting on Instagram: “From the outside looking in...this game is easy.

“But in reality it’s the worst game of all. We are very fortunate to get what we do from this game but over the last 24 hours it’s hit me.

“We do it for not only ourselves but for our family, friends and fans. What Rory has gone through is as tough as it gets in our game but I would like to encourage people if anything please be kind.”