Rory McIlroy admits he 'blanked' Tiger Woods for a MONTH after disastrous US Open meltdown

Rory McIlroy has revealed that he unintentionally snubbed Tiger Woods complete nan past period aft his unsmooth decorativeness to nan US Open, wherever he bogeyed 3 of nan past 4 shots to surrender a precocious lead.

The 35-year-old Northern Irishman concisely held a two-shot advantage complete his rivals pinch 5 holes to play astatine Pinehurst successful June, earlier missing from 2-ft-6-inches connected nan 16th and 3-ft-9-inches connected nan past to decorativeness a changeable down Bryson Dechambeau. 

He said earlier this week that Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal had been among nan sports stars to nonstop him messages of support, pinch Woods doing likewise.

'Full disclosure, I changed my number 2 days aft nan US Open, truthful I didn't get it until he told maine today,' McIlroy added. 'I was like, ''Oh, acknowledgment very much!'' So, I blanked Tiger Woods which is astir apt not a awesome thing...'

Ahead of nan 152nd Open Championship, Woods told reporters that he bid his clip to scope retired to McIlroy, 1 of nan fewer selected golfers he's adjacent pinch connected nan PGA Tour, aft nan four-time awesome winner's illness and marital problems past month.

 'I conscionable sent him a bully text,' nan 48-year-old Woods said. ''I waited a week earlier I sent it. I wanted to fto it calm down. 

'I cognize he was being besieged by a batch of different things going on, and conscionable fto it cool down for a week.'

Asked what he had said successful nan message, Woods revealed: 'Just basically, arsenic you know, I'm your friend. I cognize this is simply a difficult moment.

'We've each been location arsenic champions. We each lose. Unfortunately, it conscionable happened and nan earthy emotion of it, it's still location and it's going to beryllium location for, I'm sure, immoderate time.

'The faster he's capable to get backmost connected a equine and get backmost into contention, for illustration he did past week (in nan Scottish Open), nan amended it is for him.'

McIlroy admitted he felt uncomfortable complete his par putt connected nan 16th, a emotion moreover a 15-time awesome victor for illustration Woods could empathize with.

'Yes, absolutely. Nervous, shaky, uncomfortable, yeah, each of it,' Woods said. 'That's portion of it. That's why you emotion it. That's why we practice, to build up ourselves successful that 1 uncomfortable business and hide it.

'I've missed plentifulness of putts. I've missed plentifulness of shots. Just for illustration Jordan… you spot each nan game-winning shots, but besides he's missed a ton of game-winning shots too.

'The point is you still return nan game-winning changeable and I still want nan past putt.'

McIlroy will look to put his latest awesome adjacent miss down him erstwhile he tees disconnected successful nan Open astatine Royal Troon connected Thursday morning.  

He will proceed his quest for a first awesome triumph successful a decade astatine 10.09am alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton and American Max Homa.

McIlroy won nan past of his 4 fields astatine nan 2014 US PGA Championship, a period aft lifting nan Claret Jug astatine Royal Liverpool and since past his grounds astatine nan Open has brought 5 top-six finishes successful 7 outings.