Thus the US Open trophy is not the onerous lump of polished silver some would want it to be. It is as light as a feather in McIlroy's hands, no kind of burden. And it erases for all time the one question that haunts some of his highly acclaimed rivals. "It means that every time I come into a press conference or do an interview I don't have to answer that question, whereas a lot of guys still do. So it has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Now I can talk about winning my second [major]. It's nice to get that first one out of the way and focus on getting more."