Rory McIlroy takes pot shot at ‘unfair’ critics of late collapse at US Open

‘I look back on some of my toughest moments in my career and learn a lot from it. Hopefully I’ll put that to good use,’ says Rory McIlroy. Photograph: Malcolm Mackenzie/PA

Rory McIlroy has hit back at critics of his own and his caddie’s US Open performance, after the Northern Irishman saw the trophy slip from his grasp in painful fashion at Pinehurst.

Hank Haney, a former coach of Tiger Woods, and the television analyst Smylie Kaufman, a former PGA Tour player, both offered a ­negative appraisal of McIlroy’s approach. Harry Diamond, ­McIlroy’s ­caddie, was also in the line of fire after ­McIlroy bogeyed three of his last four holes.