Rory McIlroy's rival backs his decision to step away from golf after US Open choke: 'He needs some time'

Rory McIlroy's decision to step away from the PGA Tour after his US Open collapse is certainly understandable to Xander Schauffele, who offered some support to his rival this week. 

'As a competitor, all of us have had our highs and lows to a certain degree. It's a tough spot,' Schauffele said, as quoted by ESPN . 'I'm sure him and his team are discussing what happened, and sometimes you just need to step away from it all and really try and be as objective as possible, because you're very much in the moment there and it obviously didn't go his way and he's just, you know, he needs some time away to figure out what's going on.'

McIlroy twice had a one-shot lead at Pinehurst No. 2 until he closed with three bogeys in his last four holes, missing a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole and a par putt from just inside 4 feet on the 18th hole.

Bryson DeChambeau won it with a sensational par on the 18th, hitting a 55-yard bunker shot to 4 feet for par to beat McIlroy by one shot. McIlroy became the first player since Jim Furyk in 2006-07 to lose the U.S. Open by one shot in consecutive years.

McIlroy, who has not won a major in a decade, revealed social media this week that Sunday was 'probably the toughest' day of his pro career.

And according to Schauffele, McIlroy faces more scrutiny due to his lofty status on the tour.

'It's different for everyone,' Schauffele said. 'It's hard to for me to compare my losses to his losses. I would say his, he's under a bit more of a microscope. When things are going really well, people are all over him. And, unfortunately, when things don't go your way, people are all over him.

'So, there's a microscope on him on why he didn't win and things of that nature. And he's going to have to answer those questions at some point, and he will, because he always does. So, for me, I wear 'em pretty hard, but sometimes it's nice to just get back on the horse and compete.'

McIlroy took to social media Monday afternoon to say his stunning collapse at the US Open was probably the toughest day of his career, and that he would take off the next three weeks to 'build myself back up.'

That means he will skip the Travelers Championship, the final $20 million signature event on the PGA Tour schedule with a limited field and no cut.

'The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient,' McIlroy said in his post. 'I've shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.'

McIlroy said while he will look back with regret on the two short misses, he said the positives of the week will outweigh the negative.

'As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have,' he said.

McIlroy now has gone 10 years and 29 majors since he won the 2014 British Open at Hoylake for his fourth major at age 25. He has won three times this year, once on the European tour.

The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland has had a rough time outside the ropes, too. He filed for divorce from his wife, Erica, before the PGA Championship, and then filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss the divorce case right before the U.S. Open.

McIlroy is the defending champion at the Scottish Open on July 10-13, which leads to the British Open the following week at Royal Troon in Scotland, and then a week off before the Olympics outside Paris.