Rory McIlroy believes he was not quite ready for the tough conditions at Shinnecock Hills after missing the cut at the U.S. Open.

The Northern Irishman improved in the second round on Friday, carding an even-par 70.

However, he was left to rue his opening 80 as he finished at 10 over, missing the U.S. Open cut for the third straight year.

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, feels he needed just a day of preparation in gusty conditions in New York to fare better.

"I felt like my game was good coming in here. I think I was just blown away by the wind yesterday. That was the thing," he said.

"I haven't played in wind like that for quite a long time. I just felt like I couldn't hit it far enough left or right to allow for the wind. It was a lot of crosswinds yesterday and I felt like – holes like the third hole, I couldn't aim far enough left to keep it in the fairway, so just stuff like that.

"You get yourself out of position on this golf course, really you give yourself a bogey and move on. Today I hit 17 out of 18 greens. I did a lot of good stuff. Obviously the conditions were conducive for that.

"Yesterday I just wish I could have maybe just had one day to prepare for something like that. I feel like it would have been a different story."

McIlroy mixed four birdies with two bogeys and a double bogey in the second round, but the 29-year-old said his putter let him down.

"It's tough. It's a tough tournament. I have prepared well here in the last few years. I come in here with the right attitude," McIlroy said.

"Even after yesterday I felt like I could come in today and shoot in the 60s and make it to the weekend. Obviously I played the front nine well, I didn't putt very well."