Rory McIlroy was left to rue missed opportunities on the eighth and 14th holes as his wait for a first major championship since 2014 continued.
McIlroy held a share of the lead when he two-putted the par-five opening hole of Sunday's final round of the 123rd US Open, but that would prove his only birdie of a disappointing closing 70.
The County Down golfer missed a birdie putt from four feet on the eighth, which played the easiest hole in the final round, while his approach to the par-five 14th got plugged in the face of a greenside bunker.
He did get relief for an embedded ball, but failed to get up and down to save par and Wyndham Clark's birdie on the same hole moments later gave him what ultimately proved a vital three-shot lead.
"I got off to the perfect start with a birdie on one," McIlroy told RTÉ Sport’s Greg Allen after finishing one shot behind Clark. "I played pretty solid golf, I hit a lot of fairways and greens.
"I had a good chance on the eighth hole and missed that. Then with a wedge in my hand on 14, you’re looking at having at least a birdie putt there. To walk off with a six was disappointing.
"Over the course of the day, those are the two shots that I’m really going to rue. But apart from that I put in a really good performance. I hung in there and didn’t let my head drop.
"I executed my gameplan pretty well. I just didn’t get the putts to drop. I hit a lot of edges, that was really the story of the day."
McIlroy has finished in the top ten in six of the last seven majors, while there have been 19 top-ten finishes since his last major success at the 2014 PGA Championship.
"It hasn’t quite happened for me, but every time these tournaments come up I seem to be able to find a good enough game to contend," he said. "I’ve just got to keep putting myself in this position.
"Jack [Nicklaus] won 18 of these things but he finished second 19 times. The reason he won 18 is because he put himself in position so much. I just need to keep putting myself in that position and sooner or later it’s going to happen."
McIlroy insisted he would endure the pain of another 100 near-misses as long as he finally ends his major championship drought.
Asked if it was exhausting to keep being asked about another missed opportunity, McIlroy said: "It is, but at the same time when I do finally win this next major it’s going to be really, really sweet.
"I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship."
McIlroy’s next chance to end his drought will come at next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2014.
Asked when the countdown to the Open would begin, McIlroy joked: "Three minutes ago, I guess. I’ll play Travelers next week, I’ll play the Scottish Open, but I’m focused on making sure that I’m ready to go for Liverpool."
