LOS ANGELES — This one’s going to leave an indelible mark on Rory McIlroy’s record and, more importantly, his psyche.

McIlroy again stood at the doorstep of ending his nine-year drought without a major championship and, in the end, he had only Wyndham Clark to beat.

This is not to disrespect Clark, but the 29-year-old Colorado native was playing in only his seventh major championship and he’d missed the cut in four of the six he’d played previously with his top finish a tie for 75th.

McIlroy, with four major championships among his 23 career wins, has a far more decorated résumé, and he was neck-and-neck with Clark for most of the final round, trailing by one shot for much of the back nine, and he simply couldn’t find another gear to punch in.

In the end, Clark would outlast McIlroy, winning the U.S. Open by one shot, and it was yet another gut punch to the 34-year-old Northern Irishman.

“When I do finally win this next major, it’s going to be really, really sweet,’’ McIlroy said. “I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship. I fought to the very end. I’m getting closer. The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it’s going to happen for me. Just got to regroup and get focused for Hoylake in a few weeks’ time.’’

Shockingly, it was McIlroy — not the inexperienced Clark — who blinked in the cauldron of the back nine. And it was Clark — not the experienced McIlroy — who made all the clutch shots when they needed to be made.

The pressure point was the par-5 14th hole, where McIlroy, who usually eats par-5s for breakfast with his mammoth length, made a mess of the hole, taking bogey while Clark, playing one group behind him, birdied it. McIlroy missed the fairway off the tee, had to lay up to the fairway and, with 125 to the flag, hit his wedge short into the face of bunker.

When McIlroy slinked over to the 15th tee and Clark was carding his birdie on 14 right behind him, McIlroy trailed Clark by three shots with for holes to play.

“There was a couple of things that I probably would have done differently … that one wedge shot on 14 [and] missed birdie putt on eight [where he three-putted for par],’’ McIlroy said. “But all in all, I played a solid round of golf.’’

Not as solid as Clark.

So, yet another major championship disappointment for McIlroy is in the books, a 33rd major without a victory since his last win in a Grand Slam, at the 2014 PGA Championship.

McIlroy might not know the exact number. He probably doesn’t know it’s been 3,234 days since his last major championship triumph at Valhalla. What he does know is this: It’s been too damned long since he last hoisted major championship hardware.

The baggage McIlroy carries with him to major championships now got much heavier. This is no longer carry-on luggage; it needs to be checked.

Nine years ago, when he was winning the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla (his fourth major win by age 25), the expectations from and for McIlroy were immense.

It was considered to be a no-brainer that he was on his way to double-digit major titles. There were even whispers that he might chase down Tiger Woods in his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ long-standing record of 18 Grand Slams.

But the road since that 2014 PGA Championship became bumpier than expected — particularly in the Grand Slam events.

Fifteen of McIlroy’s 23 career wins on the PGA Tour have come since he won his last major championship. So, it’s not as if he’s played like a 10 handicapper since Valhalla. McIlroy now has 19 top 10s in major championships, including 10 top fives, since that 2014 PGA win.

Before Sunday, the most recent one of those close calls was particularly painful. McIlroy was the 54-hole co-leader at the British Open last summer along with Viktor Hovland and, in the final round, he hit every green, didn’t make a bogey, shot 2-under 70 and still lost to Cam Smith, who shot 64.

McIlroy was gutted afterward.

“I didn’t do much wrong,” he said that day. “I just didn’t do much right.”

On Sunday, McIlroy compared this disappointment to the one last July in Scotland.

“The last real two chances I’ve had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here,’’ he said. “Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn’t make a birdie since the first hole today.’’

Asked when the countdown for the British Open begins, McIlroy said, “Three minutes ago, I guess. I’ll play Travelers next week, I’ll play the Scottish Open, but I’m focused on making sure that I’m ready to go for Liverpool.’’