Rory McIlroy was once in contention to win the US Open, but he dramatically fell away as Wyndham Clark emerged victorious.
Clark secured a one-shot win over Sam Burns with his score of four-under, with Tom Kim joining that duo as the only players to shoot under par.
McIlroy was often in the red on the leaderboard, but the Northern Irishman ultimately finished well back on six-under.
Carding back-to-back 73s on Saturday and Sunday, McIlroy ended his disappointing week at the US Open in a tie for 32nd.
He did, however, impress with his driver at Shinnecock Hills, as did his fellow big-hitter Bryson DeChambeau, although he missed the cut in New York.
Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau’s driving stats at the US Open
For players to complete all four rounds, McIlroy ranked second for Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee with his figure of 1.21.
As per DataGolf, that tally was behind only the 1.29 of Michael Brennan.
However, using his new TaylorMade driver, it was indeed DeChambeau who led the way for SG: OTT thanks to his figure of 1.78 from his first two rounds.
Incidentally, he was followed by his fellow LIV Golf player Jon Rahm in second on 1.39, although the Spaniard also missed the cut.
Also failing to make the weekend, Alejandro Tosti ranked fourth on 1.23, with Patrick Cantlay – who missed the cut too – joining McIlroy on 1.21.
The Northern Irishman clearly enjoyed a solid week with his driver, having also impressed with his average distance figure of 335.1.
McIlroy was ranked sixth for that tally among those who made the cut, while he finished in a tie for 35th for his fairways hit total of 41/56 (73.00%).
The PGA Tour superstar can also take plenty of confidence from his putting, having ranked 15th in the field on the greens.
But he will likely be disappointed with his overall efforts, with his SG: Around-the-Green, Approach and Tee-to-Green particularly letting him down.
Meanwhile, DeChambeau can take some satisfaction from his latest driver experiment, but he should ultimately be feeling extremely gutted after a third successive missed cut at major championships.
Rory McIlroy excited for links golf at The Open Championship
McIlroy certainly had his chances to make a real move at the US Open, but admitted that the Long Island course ultimately got the better of him.
It is another valuable learning curve for the experienced star, who will soon turn his focus to The Open Championship, the last major of 2026.
But before the prestigious tournament at Royal Birkdale, he will take on the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.
Sharing his excitement about his upcoming plans, McIlroy told BBC Sport NI after his final round: “It’s my favourite time of the year to go back home and play The Open and get to spend a bit of time back there.
“This was not too dissimilar to an Open Championship in how the golf course played over the weekend, but some links golf over the next couple of weeks will be nice.”
The 37-year-old won The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014, while one of his 30 PGA Tour wins came at the Scottish Open in 2023.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
