Rory McIlroy breaks silence after US Open heartbreak

Rory McIlroy believes he will bounce back quickly from his devastating US Open defeat

Rory McIlroy has spoken for the first time since the US Open (Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy believes he will learn a lot from his heartbreaking loss in the US Open at Pinehurst and has backed himself to bounce back quickly.

“I did things on that Sunday that I haven’t been able to do the last couple of years, took control of the golf tournament, held putts when I needed to - well, mostly - made birdies and really got myself in there.

“It was a tough day, it was a tough few days after that but as you get further away from it happening you start to see the positives and all the good things you did throughout the week.

“There’s learnings in there too. I can vividly remember starting to feel a little uncomfortable waiting for my second putt on 16 and the putt on the last was a really tricky putt and I was very aware of where Bryson was off the tee.

Rory McIlroy suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the US Open (Malcolm Mackenzie/PA Wire)

“I knew I had to hit it really soft. If the one back didn’t matter, I would have hit it firmer.

“Knowing that Bryson had hit it left off the tee, I just sort of wanted to make sure that if there was still a chance at a play-off, that it was at least going to be that.”

McIlroy, who won his first major title in the 2011 US Open just two months after blowing a four-shot lead in the Masters, added: “The way I’d describe Pinehurst on Sunday was it was a great day until it wasn’t.