Rory McIlroy rued missed opportunities at the PGA Championship as he swiftly switched his focus to the next major.
The Holywood star, chasing back-to-back majors, entered the final round at Aronimink Golf Club in south-west Philadelphia three off the lead.
He was unable to make the Sunday charge he needed, carding a one-under-par 69 to finish five adrift of winner Aaron Rai.
Several birdie chances came and went during the final round and McIlroy was unable to cash in on the two par fives, but the 37-year-old was pleased to have been in the fight after opening the tournament with a four-over round of 74.
"I played good golf in the last two rounds. I gave myself a chance and that's all I could really ask for after Thursday," McIlroy said.
"I’ll rue three holes today that I didn’t take advantage of and that was the difference between a top five and having a realistic chance today.
"I think in these major championships I lean on my experience and I lean on my ability to get the ball in the hole, which is probably better than it ever has been. You know, my chipping and my putting and scrambling.
"A set-up like this, that’s what you have to rely on."
McIlroy was chasing the seventh major title of his career, which would take him clear of Nick Faldo’s tally and make him the most successful European of the modern era.
That will now be his aim at next month’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York (18-21 June).
"Shinnecock is going to provide a very different test to what we saw this week," he added.
"I’ll go there a little bit early again, try to get some prep in and refamiliarise myself with that golf course a bit.
"Short game is going to have to be very sharp that week. Greens very similar to the greens here, the run-offs and slopes, except there’s not the thick rough around the greens. It’s more tighter lies and the ball gets away from the greens a little bit, which is sort of more like I like it."
Had McIlroy clinched a third US PGA title, it would have kept alive the potential of a calendar grand slam.
Asked if that was on his mind, McIlroy said: "Not really that much. I think it’s unlikely, of course I was the only person that had a chance to do it.
"I’ve been the only person that’s had a chance the last two years.
"I’d say it crossed my mind after yesterday. I’m like, 'oh if I could play a really good round of golf here today, you never know'.
"But I haven’t thought about it that much. I feel like I set pretty lofty goals but that one is bordering on unrealistic."
Pádraig Harrington rolled back the years with an eye-catching finish to his final round 69 to finish on one under and a tie for 18th.
The 54-year-old holed out for eagle on the par-five 16th and a chip-in birdie in front of packed galleries on his final hole concluded a most satisfactory week for the Dubliner.
The three-time major winner told RTÉ Sport felt that some good shots on the final round were balanced out by a "few average decisions".
"Maybe because I wasn't in that position for a while," he said. "It was nice to be there, nice to have that feeling going out that I was hoping to shoot five or six under. I was still in contention in my head and that’s a nice place to be."
Harrington insisted his form coming into the tournament gave rise for his growing optimism, and while he credits more steady driving as one reason for his fine showing, the major upturn in fortunes can be attributed to his improvement on the greens.
"I’m putting better this week than I have been for 15, 20 years," he said. "I was more relaxed than I normally was at the last (for another birdie opportunity) because my putting has been so good all week. I was walking on to the green looking forward to putts."
Harrington believes that the low-scoring tournaments so prevalent on the PGA Tour will always leave him with a mountain of work to catch the pacesetters, but courses such as Aronimink Golf Club, where birdies are hard earned, suits his game better.
With this year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, the scene of his 2008 success, the Dubliner was asked if the weekend’s performance gave him confidence at a tilt to become the oldest major winner in golf.
"I’m fully focused on the US Open, that’s what is up next. Shinnecock Hills is where it is at. I just want a challenge.
"If we have a tough Shinnecock, or Open, I can hang with people in that."
