Shane Lowry has no doubt he is good enough to win a Major Championship after finishing in a tie for second at the US Open at Oakmont Country Club.
The Irishman headed into the final round with a four-shot lead but three bogeys saw him fall a shot behind Dustin Johnson at the turn before he dropped a further shot on the tenth.
There was then some confusion as the leading players were informed that Johnson may face a one-shot penalty after his ball moved on the fifth green, and when Lowry stood on the 14th tee, he was back in a tie for the lead.
But he then three-putted three greens in a row and when Johnson birdied the last in brilliant fashion, the shot penalty he was later given proved largely irrelevant as the American prevailed by three shots.
Lowry found it hard to hide his disappointment in the moments after walking off the final green but he vowed to learn from the experience and use it as a springboard into a busy summer.
"I'm bitterly disappointed," he said. "It's not easy to get yourself in a position I got myself in today. It was there for the taking and I didn't take it.
"But you can only learn from your mistakes, I always say it's only a mistake if you don't learn from it. I'm sure I learned a lot from today and I don't know what it is yet, but when I'm in that position again, and I know I will be, I'll handle it probably a little bit better.
I'm definitely good enough to win one of these. So I'll get back on the horse in a couple of weeks - Shane Lowry
"When I look back on this week, there will be a lot of positives to take from it, second place at the US Open, my best ever finish in a Major. Good World Ranking points this week.
"I've got more ahead for me now and I feel like I'm hitting form at the right time. Hopefully, I can go back to Bridgestone and make a good show in my defence there. Then I've got obviously the Open and the PGA as well."
Sergio Garcia was also in the mix to claim the title but, like Lowry, he made three consecutive bogeys from the 14th to finish at level par.
It was another near-miss in a Major Championship for the experienced Spaniard but he was glad to challenge all four days and is confident he will eventually get over the line.
"It's been a while since I've been in a Major for four rounds out there in contention," he said. "So it was great. It was a great experience. Obviously, there's a lot of nerves, but I really enjoyed it.
"I think that I handled it quite well and, unfortunately, came up a little bit short but I'm still happy with the week.
I've just got to keep putting myself in this situation and at some point in time I'm sure that the coin will fall off on heads instead of tails - Sergio Garcia
"But at the end of the day, this is what we work for. This is what we practise hard for, to put ourselves in this position over and over again. That's the most important thing."
