Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open Struggles

Rory McIlroy had quite the tumultuous Saturday at the U.S. Open. The world No. 2 faced a challenging back nine, ending the day at 3-over par, which effectively knocked him out of the race for the championship.

McIlroy, who last won at Congressional Country Club in 2011, did manage to sink an impressive 66-foot birdie on the 6th, marking a brief stretch where he made three consecutive birdies. Yet, he still found himself teeing off early for the last round at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, despite being in a position to potentially play in one of the later groups.

This second-day struggle mirrored his performance from the opening round, where he faced similar challenges on the back nine.

He faltered on the 15th hole with a double bogey and ended the round with bogeys on the 10th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 18th, putting him in a tie for 17th place, ten strokes behind the leader, Windham Clark. Earlier this season, McIlroy had finished in the top ten at both major tournaments, winning the Masters and placing seventh at the PGA Championship.

Meanwhile, Cam Young, who finished in the top five at last year’s U.S. Open, is not in the same position this year as Sunday approaches. He struggled again, finishing 3-over for the round, bringing his total to 5-over for the tournament. After winning both the Players Championship and Cadillac Championship earlier this year, Young’s performance has dipped, also showing inconsistencies at the Memorial Tournament recently.

“I don’t know,” Young remarked after his round. “I didn’t play badly, but not great either. My position going into Sunday isn’t ideal.” He did have notable moments, including a birdie on the 10th that left him just three inches from the pin, but overall, he bogeyed four of his first six holes.

Sahith Theegala shot an even-par 70, putting him in a tie for second place at 1-under; it’s looking like one of the best major appearances of his career. “Honestly, I just wanted to get into the tournament this year,” he shared. “After some injury setbacks last year, I started really slowly this year, so just being here feels huge.”

In a busy opening round, Emiliano Grillo joined Dustin Johnson with four consecutive birdies. Dylan Wu and James Nicholas struggled heavily, finishing with a combined 12-over from an early tee time. New Jersey’s Chris Gotterup shot a 3-over, leaving him at 7-over heading into the final round.

Sam Stevens, tied for second place at 1-under, approached the final round looking to better his career best in a major. “Honestly, I can’t recall where I started at Oakmont last year,” Stevens said. “I think somewhere around 15th or 20th, but it felt significant then. Now, I’m looking forward to playing; it feels great to be in this position.”