ARDMORE, Pa. -- Rory McIlroy started the U.S. Open with a run up the Rocky steps. He ended it going a few rounds with one of his clubs. McIlroy was miserable at Merion and he took out his frustrations on his club on No. 11 on Sunday. His first tee shot plopped in the water. He took a drop, then sent another ball into the same creek. McIlroy then jammed the Nike club into the ground and completely twisted the head. "I think thats what this tournament does to you," he said. "At one point or another, its got the better of you, and it definitely did this weekend." He briefly lost his cool, just not his sense of humour. When he was introduced at his press conference as shooting 14 over, he joked, "You didnt have to tell them that part." He shot a 6-over 76 in the final round. McIlroy was part of the feature group the opening two rounds, playing alongside Tiger Woods and Adam Scott -- Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the world ranking. All three were big duds at Merion Golf Club. Woods finished at 13 over, and Scott at 15 over. "I thought of the three of us, the first two rounds, Adam played the best, and he was the one with the worst score," McIlroy said. "But that is just what a U.S. Open does to you." Again, McIlroy never came close to winning. He finished 25th at the Masters this year and was coming off a brutal 78 at the Memorial. He barely made the cut and finished 57th. Most notably, he quit in the middle of a round at the Honda Classic. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland believed, though, his game is rounding into form. "I dont feel like my game is that far away," he said. "Thats what Ive been taking out of this week. Its a matter of trying to let it all click into place." With his wedge as bent out of shape as his game, McIlroy finished with 13 clubs. It might not have mattered if he had 19. The former world No. 1 again refused to blame his equipment switch for his season-long struggles. "I sort of needed to play a little bit more," he said. "If I was to do it all over again, I would have done things slightly differently. But you learn from that and its hopefully something Ill never have to do in my career again. So I dont mind taking three months to figure it out and go from there." Josh Gray Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram Pelicans Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Lonzo-Ball-City-Edition-Jersey/ .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Jaxson Hayes Pelicans Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Zion Williamson Jersey . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Michael Phelps kept saying this would definitely be his final Olympics.No chance of any more comebacks, right?Not so fast.During a news conference Wednesday, Phelps called Rio my potential last Olympics.With that, the media in the packed interview room erupted in gasps and laughter, cutting off Phelps in mid-sentence as he talked about the chance to share the Olympics with his infant son, Boomer.Just so you guys dont beat me to death if I come back, he went on. Im not. But Im just going to say that.Teammate and longtime rival Ryan Lochte, who is rooming with Phelps in the Olympic village, predicts the 31-year-old Phelps will be back in the pool for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.I just have a weird feeling, Lochte said. Once you compete on this stage att the Olympics, that passion, that excitement, that thrill of racing the top people in the world, when that goes away, you miss it.dddddddddddd You miss it really quick.Phelps initially retired after the 2012 London Games, but he changed his mind about a year later.Lochte believes the same thing will happen after Rio.I think thats why he came back, Lochte said. He missed it. He wasnt done accomplishing what he wanted to accomplish in this sport. I dont think hell be done after this one. I hope not.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '