Rory McIlroy’s return to golf after break will coincide with welcome comfort

Rory McIlroy will bounce back from his US Open heartbreak in time for some of his historically strongest tournaments. The Northern Irish golf star is set to take a break from the game following his heart-breaking final round defeat at Pinehurst.

McIlroy missed two crucial putts in the closing stages, effectively gifting victory to Bryson DeChambeau. He rushed out of the venue instead of staying for the presentation ceremony and congratulating his rival.

The 35-year-old took to X on Monday evening to vent his frustration on what he described as “probably the toughest day” in his 17-year professional career. “As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have,” he tweeted.

“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 defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”

Reserving himself for those two tournaments allows enough time for McIlroy to recover from the shocking manner of his recent defeat. He clinched victory at the Genesis Scottish Open last year after four days of intense competition, producing a stunning birdie-birdie finish to secure his second consecutive Rolex Series title and bank a £1.25million prize.

The tournament begins on July 11 and concludes on the 14th, providing him with the perfect warm-up for The Open Championship just four days later, having last won the major title in July 2014. He lifted the Claret Jug after winning by two shots at Hoylake.

He went on to win the US PGA Championship a month later – his last major – but has since endured a frustrating run of four second-place finishes.

Returning to venues where he has previously played some of his best golf – and which hold some of his fondest memories – will give McIlroy a much-needed boost at a critical time.

His hiatus means he will inevitably miss out on PGA Tour events such as the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit later this month, as well as the John Deere Classic in July.

McIlroy is the first golfer to finish in the top 10 at six consecutive US Opens since Jack Nicklaus from 1977-1982. Even more extraordinarily, he is the first to achieve this feat without winning any of them since Jack Hobens from 1905-1910.