Rory McIlroy Skips Media, Suffers Tragic U.S. Open Finish to Forget
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Rory McIlroy came into the U.S. Open at Oakmont struggling to find his best golf, but it seemed for a few hours like his rhythm had shown up just in time.
McIlroy blazed through his first nine holes at golf's toughest test with a bogey-free 33, leaving him in the top five at 2-under par. Once the Masters champion made the turn, however, all of that good mojo went out the window.
McIlroy started the front nine, his second nine after teeing off on No. 10, with a bogey on the first hole to drop back to 1-under. He then seemed to settle in before disaster struck on the par-5 fourth.
An errant tee shot forced McIlroy to hack out of the thick Oakmont rough three times just to get an approach shot into the fourth green. While the Northern Irishman was able to get up and down, sinking a 30-foot putt to save bogey, the damage was already done.
The five-time major champion never got his mojo back after that disaster on No. 4. He made back-to-back bogeys on the par-3 sixth and the par-4 seventh to drop to 2-over par before the monstrous par-3 eighth got its crack at him.
OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 12: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks across the 14th green during the first round of the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 12, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania....
OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 12: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks across the 14th green during the first round of the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 12, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Photo by) MoreHis tee shot missed the green on the 276-yard par-3, finding the thick stuff. The five-time major winner then failed to advance the ball more than a few feet in Oakmont's thick rough, and was then seen visibly frustrated slamming his club into the grass.
McIlroy made a double-bogey five on the very long eighth hole to drop to 4-over for the tournament.
A par on the last sent him into the clubhouse with a 6-over 41 on the second nine and a 4-over 74 for the round.
While McIlroy will still be within striking distance of the cut line on Friday, he is in serious jeopardy of his first U.S. Open finish outside of the top 10 since missing the cut back in 2018.
After finishing up, the Northern Irishman opted not to speak to the media.
His rough first round comes on the heels of lackluster performances at the PGA Championship (T-47) and the RBC Canadian Open (missed cut), so this is becoming somewhat of a theme for McIlroy since completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters.
More Golf: Bryson DeChambeau's Oakmont Frustration Boils Over in Rant at U.S. Open
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Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Open live leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler struggling, Brooks Koepka in the hunt
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A quick look at the betting odds over at Bet MGM and, well, Sam Burns is now the favorite at +700. Next up: J.J. Spaun and Viktor Hovland at +1000. Scottie Scheffler is still at just +1600, fifth best, even though he's nine shots back. If someone offers you an even-par 70, take it an run. You'll be the Round 2 leader. OK, so Oakmont is grinding everyone into a pulp, except maybe Sam Burns who's somehow 4-under on his round. But Brooks Koepka, who had it to 3-under an hour or so ago, is now at +1, after a fourth bogey in five holes. The latest came after he was next to the green at No. 4, a par 5, in two. From there, four strokes, dropped shot, frustration settling in Left, left, left, that's pretty much been Scottie Scheffler off the tee at Oakmont the last two days. And so after yet another drive he lost to the left, even Scheffler is left frustrated. Oakmont can frustrate even the most even-keeled players. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 That led to another bogey, pushing him back to +5, on the wrong side of the current cut line. A double bogey at No. 2 for Hovland is, well, ouch. And he was probably lucky to get out of there with only that much damage. And just like that, Scottie Scheffler is on the good side of the cut line. A birdie at No. 2 — his 11th hole — has him back to +4. That's right on the cut number. It should be noted, the front nine (where Scheffler is now) is playing four strokes above par, so Scheffler still has a lot of work to do to make the weekend. It's another bogey for Scottie Scheffler, this one at the first, to move him to +5. As of now, that would be on the wrong side of the cut line. No one is putting up a score Friday ... except for Viktor Hovland, who rolled in a lengthy birdie putt at No. 1 to get it back to 3-under, one off the lead. 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Viktor Hovland cards an eagle to match Koepka at 3-under. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 It won't show up on the scorecard, but Collin Morikawa's epic par putt at 15 is the kind of stroke that keeps you in this thing at Oakmont. Not all U.S. Open pars are created equal! Witness this 58-foot bomb from Collin Morikawa at two-time major champion stays right in the hunt at even par. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 (As of 12:30 p.m. ET) 1. J.J. Spaun -4 (12:52 p.m. ET) 2. Sam Burns -3Thriston Lawrence (2:20) T4. Viktor Hovland -2Si Woo Kim (1:36) T6. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen -1Ben Griffin (1:14)Thomas Detry (1:47) For full leaderboard, click here Sam Burns finishes his round with a 65, 5-under par. Only two rounds have been lower in U.S. Open history at Oakmont: a 63 by Johnny Miller in 1973 and Loren Roberts' 64 at the 1994 tournament. WHAT A ROUND! 🔥Sam Burns posts a spectacular Friday 65, the best we've seen this week. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 That leaves Burns one shot behind leader J.J. Spaun, who is just beginning his second round. Taylor Pendrith, tied for 16th at 2 over, nearly hit a spectacular shot on No. 1, only to have it painfully lip out. So close! Taylor Pendrith caught the downslope on 1 and almost pulled off the spectacular. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 Take a look at Brooks Koepka's scorecard: 7 bogeys, six pars and four birdies. It's good enough, right now, to be T10. Two birdies in the last four holes have Scottie Scheffler at +3, giving him a little more breathing room between himself and the cut line. The irony in this is that Scheffler now has three birdies on the front nine, which is playing three strokes harder than the back nine. And he needed it, otherwise he might have been heading home early. 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But after an eagle at No. 17, he's got himself to 3-under, just one back of the lead. Keep the hole-outs coming on 17! Viktor Hovland cards an eagle to match Koepka at 3-under. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 It won't show up on the scorecard, but Collin Morikawa's epic par putt at 15 is the kind of stroke that keeps you in this thing at Oakmont. Not all U.S. Open pars are created equal! Witness this 58-foot bomb from Collin Morikawa at two-time major champion stays right in the hunt at even par. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025
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