US Open: Rory McIlroy Battles Oakmont’s Treacherous Setup to Survive for the Weekend
The 125th US Open has reached its second round, and the leaderboard is filled with surprises. Rory McIlroy, the former champion, battled his way through Oakmont’s treacherous setup and his own frustrations to survive for the weekend. As McIlroy clung on, several high-profile golfers, including the defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Justin Thomas, and Shane Lowry, exited the tournament.
According to The Guardian, McIlroy’s day began with two double bogeys inside three holes. By the 12th hole, the Masters champion had flung his iron 30 yards down the fairway in anger at a loose shot. Five holes later, McIlroy broke a tee marker after cracking it with his three-wood. Despite these struggles, McIlroy showed admirable fighting spirit, firing an approach shot to within 4ft of the 18th hole, securing a birdie and a 72 for a six-over aggregate. As The Guardian reported, McIlroy’s last four holes, played in two under, were crucial to his survival.
The article from The Guardian also highlighted the struggles of other top golfers. DeChambeau’s departure at 10 over is still a shock, as he added a 77 to Thursday’s 73. Thomas four-putted from 22ft, the low point in back-to-back rounds of 76. Johnson, who won at Oakmont in 2016, continues his slide towards early retirement. Denny McCarthy branded five and a half hour Oakmont rounds as “a punch in the face.” The steam was just about visible from Jon Rahm’s ears as he assessed his 75. “I’m too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective,” Rahm said. “I am very frustrated. Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn’t sniff the hole, so it’s frustrating.”
Scottie Scheffler has matched Rahm’s aggregate, and he believes he can still contend for the title. “Gosh, dang it,” Scheffler bawled after a wayward drive. “I battled really hard. It’s challenging out there. I was not getting the ball in the correct spots and paying the price for it. Felt like me getting away with one over today wasn’t all that bad. It could have been a lot worse. Around this golf course I don’t think by any means I’m out of the tournament,” The Guardian quoted Scheffler.
Sam Burns leads the field at three under par, after converting from 20ft at the 9th hole for a five under par 65. As The Guardian reported, Burns’ performance was exceptional, and he could sit back and watch the rest of the field suffer. Viktor Hovland lurks in contention, one under par at halfway. In this Ryder Cup year, Hovland’s return to form is excellent news for Europe and their captain Luke Donald. “I’ve just been in a really nice mental state this week,” Hovland said. “Both of my rounds have been very up and down. I feel like a couple times if it would have happened at another tournament, for example, I could have potentially lost my mind there a little bit. But I felt like I kept things together very well.”
Brooks Koepka, a one-time major specialist, has produced inauspicious results since winning the 2023 US PGA Championship. However, Koepka suddenly looks a threat once again, and Oakmont is unlikely to faze him. As reported by The Guardian, Koepka twice reached three under on the back nine but bogeyed three in succession around the turn before dropping further shots at the 4th, 8th, and 9th holes for a 74. Two over par might frustrate Koepka given his second-round start, but he is firmly in the mix.
The US Open continues to provide thrilling action, with Oakmont’s treacherous setup testing the world’s top golfers. As The Guardian noted, only three players – Sam Burns, JJ Spaun, and Viktor Hovland – are under par, and the competition is heating up. The tournament will likely see more surprises as the weekend approaches.
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