Ace golfer Rory McIlroy is taking time off from the sport. His comments came a day after he came excruciatingly close to winning his fifth major at the 2024 US Open. The golfer eventually lost the title to Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke.

“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon,” McIlroy said in a statement.

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He acknowledged that the loss on final day of the tournament was “probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.”

McIlroy, however, showed game spirit and congratulated winner DeChambeau, saying: “He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.”

The golfer also spoke about his campaign and conceded that he’ll rue a few things.

“As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 and on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.

“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. 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,” he added.

McIlroy is now expected to feature at Scottish Open from July 11-14 before featuring at final major of the year – British Open from July 17-21.

He has previously won the British Open in 2014. His other major victories are 2011 US Open and PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014.

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