OAKMONT, Pa. – Rory McIlroy showed Thursday just how fast fortunes can change at this U.S. Open.
33-41.
After a flying start to his week at Oakmont, McIlroy made a few blunders on his last six holes to card a 4-over 74 that left him eight shots off the early lead.
Looking to recapture the form that saw him complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters, McIlroy birdied two of his first three holes to jump into a share of the (very) early lead. It seemed to be a much-needed spark for a player who was going through a post-major hangover, coming off one of the worst PGA Tour performances of his career last week in Canada and openly describing the struggle to summon the motivation to practice after such a career-defining achievement.
With his driver setup seemingly sorted out, McIlroy pounded a few stellar drives Thursday to signal his early intentions, including a 392-yard bomb down the 12th fairway (his third of the day) that led to a two-putt birdie.
But after going out in 2 under, McIlroy made too many sloppy mistakes – particularly on the greens.
A three-putt on 1 from 37 feet.
A drive into the native area right on 4 that required two swipes just to get back into the fairway and a 30-foot bomb just to salvage bogey.
On 6, he missed a 5-footer for par. The next hole, a 6-footer.
And finally, on the monstrous par-3 eighth, McIlroy blew his tee shot right of the green, flubbed his pitch and then took double when his 13-footer couldn’t drop. In all, he took 34 putts on some of the most fearsome greens in the sport.
McIlroy’s unraveling on the second nine led to a 74 that was still better than his two playing competitors, Justin Rose (77), who has finished runner-up in two of the past three majors, and Shane Lowry (79), who was the 54-hole leader here in 2016 and was one of the early-week favorites.
When McIlroy signed his card, he sat in a tie for 54th and continued to slide as the afternoon wave got underway. He declined to speak to reporters after the round.
