Rory McIlroy once again came within a whisker to adding another major championship to his collection at last weekend's US Open.
But has as often been the case, the Northern Irishman was just pipped, this time by outsider Wyndham Clark, who maintained his overnight lead to be crowned champion at Los Angeles Country Club. McIlroy himself has four majors to his name, but his wait for a fifth has been a long-one.
After winning four in the space of three years, the Northern Irishman has been unable to add to his tally in the nine years since his last flagship victory at the 2014 PGA Championship.
Sunday's final round in LA appeared to be one of his best chances yet to finally end his drought, as he headed into day four just one behind overnight leaders Clark and Rickie Fowler. With the putter failing to heat up though, McIlroy could only match the eventual champion's level-par 70 as he went on to miss out by a single shot.
Of course this is not the first near miss the Northern Irishman has encountered in his major career, and all eyes will now be on the 34-year-old at next month's Open Championship. With McIlroy facing a busy schedule on the back of the US Open, here is a look at how the Northern Irishman has reacted to his major misses in the past.
2010 PGA Championship
As a curly-haired 21-year-old, McIlroy was the new kid on the block at the 2010 PGA Championship, but his performance replicated that of a seasoned pro. Heading into the final round of the event he found himself just three shots behind leader Nick Watney, as he chased down history.
Undeterred by the moment, the Northern Irishman fought his way into a tie for the lead as he headed down the stretch, but this soon fell apart at the 15th after he three-putted his way out of shared spot at the top. He went on to lose the title by a single shot to eventual champion Martin Kaymer.
McIlroy did not have to chance to rest on his missed chance though, as he made his Ryder Cup debut just over one month later, where alongside Kaymer, he helped secure Europe a dramatic victory over their American rivals.
2011 Masters Tournament
The Northern Irishman's breakthrough major win looked as if it was going to come with the biggest prize of all, in the Masters. At the 2011 event, McIlroy had lit up Augusta National from Thursday through to Saturday, and headed into the final round on the brink of history with a comfortable four-shot lead.
Of course there were some nerves for the then 21-year-old, and this showed as he finished his opening nine holes at one-over for the round. Importantly though, McIlroy still held the outright lead though and was moving ever-closer to the famous green jacket.
What came next however was nothing short of a disaster, as the youngster crumbled after making the turn to shoot a dismal eight-over-par 80, to tumble down the leaderboard and finish in a tie for 15th. Such a collapse could have been a career-ender for such a young player but McIlroy bounced back in style, with three top-10's in his next five starts, before finally becoming a major champion at the US Open two months later.
2022 Masters Tournament
11 years on from his Augusta meltdown, McIlroy was still without a coveted green jacket despite having won the other three major titles on offer in that time. In 2022 the Northern Irishman was left rueing a slow start rather than a blundering finish as he headed into the final round 10 shots off leader Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler of course went on to claim the Masters title, but it was McIlroy who ran him closest after the 34-year-old carded a remarkable eight-under-par 64 to finish the event in solo second. This impressive final round showing proved to be a catalyst though, as McIlroy went on to secure three top 10's and one win in his next six starts on the PGA Tour.
2022 Open Championship
Another major Sunday, another golden opportunity for McIlroy to add title No. 5, as he headed into the final round of the 2022 Open Championship tied for the lead with Viktor Hovland. Heading into Sunday it felt like the moment for the Northern Irishman had arrived, with the event the 150th edition of the Open, and taking place at the Home of Golf, St Andrews.
Similar to his efforts in LA last Sunday, McIlroy did not do a whole lot wrong, shooting a solid two-under-par 70 in the final round. Whilst this bettered co-leader Hovland, his efforts were in vein as Aussie star Cam Smith burst from the chasing pack to shoot an incredible eight-under 64, to pip McIlroy late on.
This near miss was arguably the toughest to take for the 34-year-old following his lead, and the momentous occasion. In typical McIlroy fashion though he bounced back, going on to win both the FedEx Cup and DP World Tour rankings, whilst returning to No. 1 player in the world.