Rory McIlroy said Monday he plans to take a break from golf after describing his epic meltdown at the US Open as probably the “toughest” day of his professional career.
In his first public comments since his collapse at Pinehurst on Sunday, which allowed Bryson DeChambeau to claim a one-stroke victory, McIlroy said his next event will be the Scottish Open, July 11-14, the warm-up for the Open from England.
“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest day I’ve ever had in my almost 17 years as a professional golfer,” said McIlroy, who withdrew from this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
McIlroy, who quickly left Pinehurst on Sunday without speaking to the media, squandered a two-stroke lead with five holes to play, making bogeys on three of the last four holes to hand a winning position to DeChambeau.
Two of McIlroy’s bogeys came on missed putts from less than five feet.
It was the latest agonizing near miss for McIlroy in his attempts to end a decade-long quest for a fifth major. McIlroy now has 21 top-10 finishes, including four runner-up finishes, since his last major in 2014.
The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland insisted, however, that he believes the positives outweighed the negatives of the US Open debacle.
“As I reflect on my week, I will regret a few things throughout the tournament, most notably the two missed shots on 16 and 18 on the final day,” McIlroy said. “But as I always try to do, I will look at the positive aspects 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 ever before.
“The only word I would describe my career is ‘resilient’. I have shown my resilience time and time again over the past 17 years and I will do so again.
“I’m going to take a few weeks off from the game to process everything and prepare for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open at Royal Troon.
“See you in Scotland.”
Meanwhile, McIlroy paid tribute to the charismatic DeChambeau, describing the American LIV Golf player as a worthy US Open champion.
“I would like to congratulate Bryson,” McIlroy said. “He is a worthy champion and is exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.”
rw/bb
