Pinehurst (United States) (AFP) – Rory McIlroy, chasing his first major triumph in 10 years, stumbled from a share of the lead with two bogeys early in Friday’s second round of the US Open at Pinehurst.
McIlroy fired a bogey-free opening five-under par 65 on Thursday to share the 18-hole lead with ninth-ranked Patrick Cantlay, an American seeking his first major title who tees off in the afternoon.
Third-ranked McIlroy, a back-nine morning starter Friday, missed a birdie putt from just inside 12 feet at the par-5 10th and lipped out on a six-foot par putt to make bogey at 11 and fall one off the lead.
McIlroy missed an 11-foot birdie putt at 14 and at the par-3 15th, his tee shot rolled off the front of the green, setting up a 10-foot par putt miss that brought another bogey.
At the par-3 17th, McIlroy rolled in a clutch par putt from just inside 40 feet and at 18, he found sandy brush off the tee but salvaged par to make the turn on 3-under.
Not all struggled on the dome-shaped elevated greens surrounded by dirt and weeds.
Belgium’s Thomas Detry, a back-nine starter, made his own early move to share second at 4-under with birdies from just beyond 17 feet at 11, 13 feet at 12 and 16 feet at 13.
Also on 4-under was sixth-ranked Swede Ludvig Aberg, who was second at April’s Masters in his major debut. England’s Tyrrell Hatton moved to 3-under, two back of Cantlay, with two birdies.
After a three-putt bogey at the first, Hatton birdied the par-5 fifth, reaching the green in two to set up a tap-in putt, and par-4 seventh, where he sank a six-foot putt.
Also sharing fourth on 3-under with McIlroy and Hatton was France’s Matthieu Pavon, a late starter.
McIlroy, trying to win an elusive fifth career major, played alongside top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and second-ranked Xander Schauffele, both with major titles this year.
Schauffele was on one-under overall at the turn after a birdie at 18 while Scheffler made bogeys at 15 and 17 to stand 3-over.
McIlroy, a 35-year-old from Northern Ireland, has won the past three times he began a major with a bogey-free round, taking titles at the 2014 British Open, 2012 PGA Championship and 2011 US Open.
It was his sixth opening round of 65 or lower at a major.
Should McIlroy collect his first major title since the 2014 PGA Championship this week, it would mark the longest gap between wins for any player in US Open history, his 13 years breaking the record 11 shared by Julius Boros and Hale Irwin.
McIlroy has 20 top-10 major finishes without a win over the past decade.
McIlroy has finished in the top-10 in his past five US Open starts, improving his position each year up to last year’s runner-up showing behind fourth-ranked American Wyndham Clark.
Cantlay produced his best major start and led a major round for the first time in his career.
His best major result was third at the 2019 PGA Championship.
© 2024 AFP
