Rory McIlroy says he has "earned the right to do whatever I want to do" after skipping media duties following his opening two rounds during what he called a "pretty average" US Open performance.
The Masters champion spoke to the media for the first time since the tournament started after Saturday's four-over 74 pushed him back to 10 over par after three rounds.
McIlroy said he hoped Sunday's final round will be a case of taking "four and a half hours and out of here" to put a disappointing week behind him.
The 36-year-old has cut a frustrated figure throughout the tournament at Oakmont, only just making the cut on Friday.
And, after Saturday's round, he said making himself less available to some sections of the media is partly due to a story leaked surrounding his driver before last month's PGA Championship.
It emerged the United States Golf Association (USGA) instructed McIlroy to change the club just two days before the event after an equipment inspection deemed it 'non-conforming'. There was no suggestion that McIlroy had done anything wrong.
"It's just frustration with you guys [some sections of the media]," the Northern Irishman said in his first post-round interview at a major since winning the Masters at Augusta in April.
"I have been totally available for the past number of years," McIlroy added. "That [driver issue] was a part of it but at Augusta I skipped you guys on Thursday. It's not out of the ordinary as I've done it before, but I am doing it a little more often. I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do."
The Oakmont course has proved to be a challenge for the entire field and, although McIlroy has been happy with some aspects of his game, retaining focus has been an issue at times.
"The name of the game this week is staying patient and I've tried to do a good job of it out there, but it's just one of those golf courses where you can lose patience pretty quickly," he said.
"I have driven the ball as good as I have for a long time, so that's a positive from this week. I was hoping to play better, but didn't."