McIlroy got everything but the win out of Northern Ireland homecoming
The Masters champion finished in a tie for seventh on 10 under par, seven shots adrift of world number one Scottie Scheffler, who romped to his first Claret Jug.
McIlroy was supported wildly across the four days at Royal Portrush, which is just over 60 miles from where the world number two grew up.
"It's been an awesome week. I've got everything I wanted out of this week apart from a Claret Jug, and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us," said McIlroy.
"I feel so thankful and just so lucky that I get to do this in front of this crowd. Hopefully I'll have one or two (British) Opens left here."
McIlroy's Masters victory in April saw him become just the sixth man to win the career Grand Slam.
It seems just a matter of time before Scheffler joins that list after he added the British Open to his two Masters and PGA Championship title from earlier this year.
The American's spate of success in the last two years has sparked comparisons with the dominance of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods during his heyday.
"None of us could hang with Scottie this week. He's an incredible player," added McIlroy.
"He's been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to.
"In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.
"He's a very worthy winner. Also, he's a great person, and I think he's a wonderful ambassador for our game as well."--AFP
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