Rory McIlroy signed off from a deflating week at the US Open with an uplifting finish and a hope that his mojo will return in time for the Open.
A closing round of 67 applied a degree of respectability to a disappointing trip, but there will need to be stark upturn in his form and mood ahead of his home major at Portrush four weeks from now.
By the end of this one, the world No 2 had at least found some rhythm with his driver, but the question of motivation since the Masters is still relevant.
To that lull, he is at least optimistic of finding a spark. ‘Look, if I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me,’ he said.
‘I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks.
'But as I said, getting home and having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again.
Rory McIlroy said he needed to find a better 'frame of mind' after a poor US Open outing
But the Northern Irishman remained defiant ahead of a homecoming Open at Portrush
‘I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you've got to look for another mountain to climb. An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those.’
The bleakness of McIlroy’s performances here were underlined by the fact he had finished his round before the overnight leader Sam Burns had stepped on the first tee.
Aside from a club toss mid-round that bounced back off his bag and straight into his hand, it was relatively undramatic.
McIlroy will next line up at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut on Thursday before taking a fortnight off, returning at the Scottish Open in the week ahead of the season’s final major.
‘I'm looking forward to just getting back to Europe in general,’ McIlroy said.
‘Obviously it will be my first time sort of in public back home after winning the Masters. It should be a really nice week.
‘Hopefully I can celebrate with them on Sunday night with the Claret Jug and the Green Jacket.
'It was nice to end this week with a bit of a positive note with the way I played today, and now I'll just be looking forward to get myself prepared for Portrush.’
