Rory McIlroy is looking to put his 150th Open Championship disappointment behind him as he tees it up again at St Andrews for this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Northern Irishman put himself in a solid position to claim Major Championship number five this summer as he shared a four-shot lead with Viktor Hovland heading into the final round at The Home of Golf.
A closing 70, however, was not enough and the 33-year-old narrowly missed out on lifting the Claret Jug for the second time in his career.
McIlroy has shown few ill effects since, winning the PGA TOUR's Tour Championship - and the FedEx Cup in the process - and finishing second and fourth in his last two DP World Tour appearances, and he is hoping to continue a career theme as he tackles the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie this week.
"I feel like any time I've had a setback in my career, whether it be a setback of missing a cut or having a chance to win a tournament and not pulling it off, I always feel like I've been able to bounce back a little," he said.
"Throughout my career, whether it be trying to get my first win on the DP World Tour in 2008 in Switzerland, losing in a play-off there, I was able to get myself into the top 50 (in the Official World Golf Ranking) by the end of the year.
"Trying to win my first Major Championship (at the 2011 Masters Tournament), didn't win that and bounced back a of couple months after at the U.S. Open.
"I feel like time and time again, I've been able to bounce back from some adversity. It's been a learning curve but I think it's one of the things that I'll look back on my career in 20 years' time... it's probably one of the things I'm the most proud of, that I have bounced back from setbacks very, very well and I've become more resilient as I've gone on in my career.
"I think once The Open was done, I just reset my goals on what I thought a successful season would look like and that's what I went off and that's what I was able to achieve."
McIlroy has a fine record at this event, finishing third in 2007 to effectively secure a rookie season on Tour in 2008, and going one better twice since, although he has yet to get his hands on the trophy.
He has also finished second in the team event in 2019 and as he once again pairs up with dad Gerry, he admits he would swap individual glory for a team win.
"I don't think it would quite make up for missing out on a Claret Jug but it would certainly soften the blow," he said.
"But I've got memories around St Andrews that will last me a lifetime even if that's not winning an Open Championship. I'd love to in the future and hopefully I get that opportunity again but it's a nice week. It's a feel-good week and you get to do something you don't get to do all the time.
"It's a pure form of the game, playing with your father. Sort of reminding myself where I started and playing at the golf club with him and all that sort of stuff. That's the real nice thing about this week.
"A win would be the cherry on top of course but we're both going to have a good time this week and that's all that matters."
