Rory McIlroy shows true colours in honest statement after US Open pain

Rory McIlroy has opened up on his US Open heartbreak with an honest and meaningful statement. The world ranked No. 2 was beaten to his first major trophy in ten years at the recent US Open, despite looking set to win at the tournament's conclusion.

However, missed par putts leading up to the 18th would spell disaster for the Northern Irishman, who was overtaken by Bryson DeChambeau. The American flew where McIlroy had faltered to claim the second major championship of his career.

It has been a long decade for 35-year-old McIlroy, who hasn't tasted the sweetness of major success since his 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. Despite that pain and heartache, the golf pro still considers himself to be one of the "luckiest" people in the world.

Speaking at the Genesis Scottish Open this week at North Berwick's Renaissance Club, McIlroy said: "There's not a day goes by that I don't feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world to get up every morning and be healthy and follow my dream. There's videos of me at seven years old saying I want to be the best player in the world and I want to win all the majors.

"To be able to try to make that little 7-year-old boy proud every day is something that I really don't take for granted. I'm very appreciative of the position that I'm in in life."

Refelcting on his US Open misery, McIlroy added: "I got over it pretty quickly. The few days after it were pretty tough at times, but I feel like I've done a good job of thinking about it rationally and constructively and taking what I need from it and trying to learn from it. But like for the most part it was a great day. I keep saying to people, 'It was a great day until it wasn't'."

McIlroy took a couple of weeks away from the sport to reflect and recompose following his US Open defeat in North Carolina. He has missed several top level events, including the John Deere Classic and the Travelers Championship, which was won by Scottie Scheffler.

The Northern Irishman's return will put him in perfect stead ahead of The Open at Royal Troon next week. McIlroy is chasing his third Open title, having last won the tournament in both 2012 and 2014.

Following a lean spell between 2015 and 2021, McIlroy has found his groove again in recent years when it comes to the Claret Jug. He finished third in 2022 and T6 12 months ago in a tournament that was won by outsider Brian Harman at 100/1.