Rory McIlroy said he will be taking a break from golf following his US Open meltdown – and has belatedly congratulated Bryson DeChambeau for pipping him at Pinehurst.
The Northern Irishman was in position to end a decade-long hunt for his fifth major on Sunday but threw it away with three bogeys in his final four holes, including two where he missed putts inside of four feet, and lost to DeChambeau by one stroke.
The moment DeChambeau’s winning putt dropped in the cup, a shell-shocked McIlroy stormed directly to his courtesy car and left the site of the most agonising loss of his career and fourth runner-up finish in a major.
McIlroy has been widely criticised for failing to acknowledge DeChambeau but on Monday night he wrote on X: “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.”