Rory McIlroy will take a three-week break from golf after admitting that his collapse in the final round of the US Open was “the toughest day” of his professional career.
The Northern Irishman led Bryson DeChambeau by two strokes with four holes to play at Pinehurst No2 on Sunday, but he dropped shots at the 15th, 16th and 18th holes to slip back to five under par and hand the American his second major triumph.
McIlroy’s meltdown included missed putts from inside four feet at the 16th and 18th holes and his wait for a fifth major victory — and his first since his triumph at the 2014 US PGA Championship — has now lasted 37 major events over the course of almost a decade.
