Jason Day refused to blame British Open officials for costing him a shot at the Claret Jug but walked away gutted after his ninth top-10 major championship result in 20 starts.
Day needed just one more birdie over his last 12 holes at the Old Course to join a playoff for the championship but couldn't find it and ultimately may rue back-to-back bogeys in his second round during a farcical 32-minute session of play.
While American Brooks Koepka refused to play in gusts that pushed balls off greens, Day and many others were urged to play on despite some players being held in position as wind speeds were tested.
In that time the Australian made two of his three bogeys for the entire tournament before officials ended play and a 10-hour delay ensued. Fellow Australian Scott Hend called that situation an absolute disgrace and a mockery.
But Day took the high road despite his obvious disappointment after finishing tied fourth, just one shot outside the three-man playoff won by Zach Johnson.
"I missed a couple of birdies. I made some other errors. If you look at that (second round incident) you are just being negative," said a diplomatic Day.
"You can't look at it that way.
"As soon as you look at things in a negative light you are going to go backwards so I have to keep looking at the positives.
"I gave myself chances out there. A couple of holes I wish I would have liked some shots back, but that's just part and parcel of playing.
"I've been working very hard to try and accomplish my first major, and you know, it's a little frustrating with how it finished.
"But I've been in contention at major championships a lot now, and it just shows I'm doing the right things, and I can't look at it as a negative."
Day had a 25-foot putt on the 72nd hole to get into the playoff but left it short.
The biggest positive to come was a bogey-free final two rounds, the first time the 27-year-old has managed that feat at a major since the 2011 US Open where he was second to Rory McIlroy.
"It'll soon come my way," said Day. "I've just got to be patient with it."
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