Angry Rory McIlroy narrowly survives cut at US Open
AN ANGRY Rory McIlroy needed a birdie on the last hole of his second round to make the cut at the US Open.
McIlroy said before the tournament that he needed to shake off the hangover of his epic Masters win at Augusta National in April, but he could not have chosen a harder place to do that.
The brutal Oakmont course in Pittsburgh has been chewing up and spitting out the best players in the world, and McIlroy is one of them.
Frustration boils over for Rory McIlroy after his approach shot on the 12th 😡 pic.twitter.com/jEeLhycsRM — Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 13, 2025
After a four-over-par 74 on Thursday, McIlroy had hopes of fighting back into contention in the second round, but he again struggled to tame the course, posting two double bogeys in the opening three holes.
Such was his frustration, he launched his club in anger at the 12th hole after sending another shot into the unforgiving rough before smashing a tee marker on the 17th when finding the bunker.
He produced some magic on the 18th with a stunning approach shot to five feet and converted for a birdie to reach six-over-par, which keeps him around for the weekend.
Whether he will be pleased about that or not is another story entirely, and he will not be challenging for the title come Sunday night.
His late birdie did not quell the frustration enough for him to speak to the media as he skipped post-round duties for the sixth successive round at a major.
Rory McIlroy makes the cut at Oakmont ✅ pic.twitter.com/gvAmcfJXFb — Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 13, 2025
There was no such luck for Shane Lowry as he finished on 17-over-par following a second-round 78.
A bad day for the Offaly golfer was compounded on the 14th hole.
Lowry picked up his ball on the green but forgot to mark it.
Soon realising his error, Lowry put the ball back down before sharing a laugh with groupmates McIlroy and Justin Rose.
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Oakmont is taking its toll.
Shane Lowry forgot to mark his ball on the 14th green before picking it up. pic.twitter.com/KJDasXGheo — Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) June 13, 2025
The mistake did not have a significant impact on Lowry's fate. By then, he was already 14 over par after a nine-over 79 on Thursday.
'By then, maybe my mind was somewhere else,' he told Sky Sports. 'I still tried. I fought over every shot. That's all you can do, I suppose, on a week like this.'
The 38-year-old struggled to hide his frustration on a challenging day. After missing a putt at one point, he exclaimed: 'F*ck this place, F*ck this place.'
Golf is hard.
Shane Lowry - 'F*ck this place, F*ck this place' - Unique opinion on Oakmont & the 2025 US Open.
#USOpen2025 pic.twitter.com/MSkXJ7vLRc — Matt "Mattie 5" Bellner (@MattBellner) June 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Sam Burns matched the third-best US Open round ever fired at Oakmont, shooting a five-under par 65 to seize a one-stroke lead after Friday's second round as big names struggled.
The 28-year-old American made six birdies against a lone bogey to stand on three-under 137 after 36 holes on the punishing layout.
The only two US Open rounds at Oakmont lower than Burns's 65 were Johnny Miller's final-round 63 to win in 1973 and a 64 by Loren Roberts in the 1994 third round.
American J.J. Spaun made bogeys on three of the last four holes to shoot 72 and stand second on 138 with Norway's Viktor Hovland third on 139 after a 68 — the top trio being the only players under par after 36 holes.
Bryson DeChambeau fired a 77 to stand on 150 and miss the cut, the first defending champion to miss the US Open cut since Gary Woodland in 2020.
Also missing the cut was six-time US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson, who needed a win to complete a career Grand Slam.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Spain's Jon Rahm were seven adrift on 144. Scheffler fired a 71 with five bogeys and four birdies.
Australian Adam Scott and American Ben Griffin shared fourth on 140.
France's Victor Perez aced the par-three sixth hole from 192 yards, hitting the 54th hole-in-one in US Open history but only the second ace at a US Open at Oakmont. Perez shot 70 to stand sixth on 141.
Additional reporting by AFP
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