Rory McIlroy faces huge challenge to overcome major US Open heartbreak | Ewan Murray

Painful near miss at Pinehurst after letting a two-shot lead late in the final round slip away could take a while to recover from

Amid the grumbling at Rory McIlroy's sharp exit from the US Open, it is worth remembering that a picture can tell a thousand words. The scale of McIlroy's devastation was so stark that it looked possible he could throw up all over the scoring area in which he was standing as Bryson DeChambeau holed out for victory at Pinehurst. Anyone who questions the extent to which McIlroy cares about his professional pursuits need only have looked at his face.

Even for those with a loose attachment to his career, the denouement to the 124th US Open was gut-wrenching to watch. This was a loss so sore that McIlroy felt unable to detail his thoughts to the wider world. He should be given a pass there; not only is the Northern Irishman generous with his time to the media, it seems impossible he could have adequately articulated what heartbreak had transpired over the previous hour. McIlroy didn't hang about, either, for the cheesy shaking of DeChambeau's hand in front of cameras. This is a sportsman who had the ending of a painful, apparently interminable run within his grasp and cracked. No wonder McIlroy wanted off the property as quickly as possible.