Rory McIlroy is certain he can get his hands on a fifth Major Championship title after coming up just short at the 123rd U.S. Open.
The Northern Irishman won his maiden Major at the U.S. Open in 2011 and has since added an Open and two US PGA Championships to his trophy cabinet, although the last of those wins came in 2014.
The result at The Los Angeles Country Club is his third second-placed Major finish since his 2014 US PGA Championship win and 19th top ten in 33 appearances, including six of his last seven.
Those near misses, coupled with the fact he has won virtually every other big prize in the game over the last nine years, suggest the next victory is not far away, and McIlroy is ready to enjoy it when it comes.
"When I do finally win this next Major, it's going to be really, really sweet," he said. "I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another Major Championship.
"The last real two chances I've had at Majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here.
"I'm getting closer. The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it's going to happen for me."
McIlroy's next chance will come at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, scene of his Claret Jug triumph nine years ago.
In Los Angeles, he entered the final round a shot off the lead and was in a share when he made a two-putt birdie on the first.
A run of 12 pars was to follow, however, before he dropped a shot on the 14th despite getting a fortunate drop for being plugged in the face of a bunker.
Four more pars would follow and McIlroy signed for a 70, finishing one shot behind champion Wyndham Clark.
"The golf course was playing really tricky and obviously the scores in the final few groups reflected that," he said. "There was a couple of things that I probably would have done differently but all in all I played a solid round of golf.
"That one wedge shot on 14, missed birdie putt on eight, really apart from that, I did everything else the way I wanted to.
"Fine, fine margins at this level and at this tournament especially, but I fought to the very end. I obviously never give up.
"I'm not doing a lot wrong but I didn't make a birdie since the first hole today. Just trying to be a little more, I guess, efficient with my opportunities and my looks.
"Overall, when you're in contention going into the final round of a U.S. Open, I played the way I wanted to play. There was just a couple of shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I'd like to have back."
