McIlroy briefly held a two-shot lead with five holes to play but bogeyed three of the last four, missing from two feet and six inches on the 16th and three feet and nine inches on the last to finish a shot behind Bryson DeChambeau.
"I look back on that day just like I look back on some of the toughest moments in my career and I'll learn a lot from it and hopefully put that to good use," McIlroy said in a pre-tournament press conference ahead of his title defence in the Genesis Scottish Open.
"It's something that's been a bit of a theme throughout my career, I've been able to take those tough moments and turn them into great things not very long after that."
McIlroy, who won his first major title in the 2011 US Open just two months after blowing a four-shot lead in the Masters, added: "The way I'd describe Pinehurst on Sunday was it was a great day until it wasn't.
"I did things on that Sunday that I haven't been able to do the last couple of years, took control of the golf tournament, held putts when I needed to - well, mostly - made birdies and really got myself in there.
"It was a tough day, it was a tough few days after that but as you get further away from it happening you start to see the positives and all the good things you did throughout the week.
"There's learnings in there too. I can vividly remember starting to feel a little uncomfortable waiting for my second putt on 16 and the putt on the last was a really tricky putt and I was very aware of where Bryson was off the tee.
"I knew I had to hit it really soft. If the one back didn't matter, I would have hit it firmer.
"Knowing that Bryson had hit it left off the tee, I just sort of wanted to make sure that if there was still a chance at a play-off, that it was at least going to be that."
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