Rory McIlroy shares tearful regret that 'hurt way more' than US Open misery

Rory McIlroy has said that his failure to win The Open two years ago 'hurt way more' than his choke at last month's US Open. The 35-year-old has been involved in a few close shaves at recent majors, with his latest coming just a few weeks ago when he was denied by Bryson DeChambeau.

McIlroy missed par putts within four feet on two of the last three holes, derailing his hopes of victory after overhauling a three-shot overnight deficit. He was understandably gutted as he watched DeChambeau hole the decisive putt before storming off without congratulating his rival.

It went down as one of McIlroy's most painful chokes but the Northern Irishman has admitted that he felt even worse after failing to win The Open in 2022. He was reduced to tears after throwing away a healthy lead at St Andrews, with Cameron Smith leaving it late to claim the spoils.

Reflecting on what happened in an interview with The Guardian, McIlroy said: "St Andrews hurt way more than this one. Oh my God. I didn’t cry after this. It is St Andrews. It is the Open. A three‑shot lead on 10. it was the 150th. The crowd support I got there was unreal."

McIlroy will have another opportunity to end his decade-long wait for a major title this weekend, with The Open returning to Royal Troon after an eight-year absence. He went on to explain that he has already processed his painful defeat at the US Open after taking a short break from the game.

"Was it a great opportunity to win a major? Absolutely," he said. "It hurt and in the moment it was tough, terrible. I’d say people would be surprised to see how quickly I got over it and moved on.

"I can’t pay attention to that [outside noise]. Maybe the one drawback from me not talking [to media] afterwards was that you got three weeks of speculation: ‘He should have done this, should have done that, but we will never know because he didn’t say'.

“I trust the people around me. I don’t need to go looking for external counsel. If the tournament ended after 68 holes, people would be calling me the best golfer in the world. You have to be an eternal optimist. Say you play 25 events a year and win three of those, you are one of the best players in history.

"We lose way more than we win. Yes, I was in a great winning position and should have won but it’s not the first time I have let something slip away. It’s probably not going to be the last. You have to look at it on the continuum. It was tough but it is one tournament."