Irish golf ace Rory McIlroy isn't about to let the worst Open Championship finish of his young career weigh him down.

A week which he hoped would bring him his second major title and take him back to world number one, actually ended with McIlroy down on eight over par and outside the top 50 after a closing 73.

McIlroy, 23, had been in joint fifth spot when he opened with a 67, but he then had a 41-hole stretch containing only one birdie.

'I think the thing for me is to stay patient,' he told the Belfast Telegraph.

'If it doesn't happen over the next couple of weeks no big deal. It's a 20-year career, so I'm not going to get too wound up just over a few weeks.'

McIlroy is next in action at the Bridgestone World Championship in Akron on Thursday week and then he moves on to Kiawah Island in South Carolina for the USPGA Championship.

'I've got to keep working away, plugging away, working on the right things and eventually it will come around,' he said.

Asked about the forthcoming Ryder Cup, he added, 'The thing about the Ryder Cup, I'm going to be left out if I'm not playing too good.'

But he must know he'll be among the lineup in September. He already leads the points race with only five weeks to go.

'No, it's fine,' he said. 'Everyone goes through little struggles. What I'm experiencing at the minute is frustrating at times, but it's not anything that I can't deal with.

'I'm obviously very disappointed because I felt like I was coming in here playing pretty well. I had a really nice first round, set myself up well for the week and then just started to struggle after that.'