Rory McIlroy seeks rarified Ben Hogan air at US Open
The post Rory McIlroy seeks rarified Ben Hogan air at US Open appeared first on ClutchPoints.
It is U.S. Open week, and all eyes in the golf world turn to Oakmont Country Club. The 125th U.S. Open championship will surely satisfy golf fans, but players are far less likely to be thrilled. That is because the playing conditions the USGA has set up put a premium on driving accuracy. That is something Rory McIlroy typically excels at.
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McIlroy has found tons of success at the U.S. Open over the years. He won the 2011 edition of the event at Congressional, marking his first of five major titles. But in recent years, the level of consistency has been off the charts.
McIlroy has finished inside the top 10 at each of the last six U.S. Opens. If he does that again this year, he will tie Ben Hogan (1950-1956) and two others for the most in a row ever, according to The Athletic's golf statistician Justin Ray. But it will be no easy task.
The Northern Irishman's calling card has been his ability to drive the ball long and straight. But since McIlroy's driver was deemed non-conforming at the PGA Championship, which forced him to switch drivers, it has been a different story.
With his new driver, McIlroy drove the ball terribly at Quail Hollow. It came as a shock, considering he had the best track record at that course (four wins) of anyone in the field. When news surfaced that his driver failed the test, controversy swirled as McIlroy opted not to speak to the media all week.
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Rory McIlroy then surprisingly sat out Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament, which caught even the Golden Bear by surprise.
The next time the reigning Masters champion played was at last week's RBC Canadian Open. Unfortunately, time and practice did not help McIlroy find an accurate driver. He posted the worst 36-hole finish of his PGA Tour career, finishing 149th in a 153-player field. That prompted fans' backlash amidst his sudden struggles with a new driver.
Related: 2025 U.S. Open: 5 Biggest Storylines from Oakmont Country Club
Related: PGA Tour news: Ryan Fox pulls off RBC Canadian Open feat last seen in 1968
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Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Open live leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler struggling, Brooks Koepka in the hunt
Oakmont is biting back. Only a handful of players remain under par midway through Round 2. Two of those players — Sam Burns and Viktor Hovland — are putting together stellar rounds ... while everyone else is being grounded into paste. The scoring is going to get even more difficult for the afternoon wave, which doesn't bode well for first-round leader J.J. Spaun, who pulled out one of the best rounds that Oakmont Country Club has ever seen during a U.S. Open on Thursday. Spaun fired a bogey-free 66 to kick off the U.S. Open, which gave him a one-shot lead over the field. He's playing in his first U.S. Open, and he carded what was just the second bogey-free round at a U.S. Open at Oakmont. Some big names are in danger of missing the cut, which you can track here. Stick with Yahoo Sports for all of the updates throughout the second round of the U.S. Open. All times ET Friday, June 13Peacock: 6:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. (Watch U.S. Open All-Access on Peacock)NBC: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14USA: 10 a.m. - 12 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday, June 15USA: 9 a.m. - 12 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. (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. Now, it's looking like he'll make it to the weekend, and with how quickly things can change at Oakmont, he's not yet out of it. Between them, Viktor Hovland (-4) and Sam Burns (-5) are 9-under on their rounds. No other players on the course are better than -2, and most are above par. Hovland, after his fifth birdie of the day (to go along with an eagle), is now just one back of Spaun, who probably doesn't want to tee off at this point. Five birdies. One Hovland 🇳🇴 is back in a tie for 2nd. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 How? Simply, how is Sam Burns 5-under on his round while pretty much everyone else on the course right now is wanting to be anywhere else? Well, maybe it's because Sam Burns is an elite putter, and when you're an elite putter, you make long putts, and at Oakmont, there are a lot of long putts, which ... fits Burns' game perfectly. Maybe this is why he's the betting favorite. Now, here is how to bring Oakmont to its knees, courtesy of Victor Perez at the 192-yard sixth hole: 🚨 ACE ALERT 🚨Victor Perez 🇫🇷 with a great shot and an even better celebration! — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 It's just the second ever hole-in-one at Oakmont in a U.S. Open, and the first since 1983. 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. After a birdie at No. 17 got him to 3-under, one shot off the lead, Brooks Koepka has bogeyed each of the last three holes. He's back to even par Here's how the cut works at the U.S. Open: Top 60 and ties, pretty simple. What does that mean? Currently, the cutline would be +4. That pus the following players on the wrong side: Jordan Spieth (+5)Tony FinauDustin Johnson (+5)Patrick Cantlay (+6)Justin Thomas (+ After putting his tee shot on the short par 4 17th just in front of the green, Scottie Scheffler needed four shots to get it in the hole. That's a bogey, his second in three holes, and pushes him to +4. It's been a tough go at the majors for Viktor Hovland, who after some top-5 finishes a few years ago, hasn't been a factor of late. 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 (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. Now, it's looking like he'll make it to the weekend, and with how quickly things can change at Oakmont, he's not yet out of it. Between them, Viktor Hovland (-4) and Sam Burns (-5) are 9-under on their rounds. No other players on the course are better than -2, and most are above par. Hovland, after his fifth birdie of the day (to go along with an eagle), is now just one back of Spaun, who probably doesn't want to tee off at this point. Five birdies. One Hovland 🇳🇴 is back in a tie for 2nd. — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 How? Simply, how is Sam Burns 5-under on his round while pretty much everyone else on the course right now is wanting to be anywhere else? Well, maybe it's because Sam Burns is an elite putter, and when you're an elite putter, you make long putts, and at Oakmont, there are a lot of long putts, which ... fits Burns' game perfectly. Maybe this is why he's the betting favorite. Now, here is how to bring Oakmont to its knees, courtesy of Victor Perez at the 192-yard sixth hole: 🚨 ACE ALERT 🚨Victor Perez 🇫🇷 with a great shot and an even better celebration! — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025 It's just the second ever hole-in-one at Oakmont in a U.S. Open, and the first since 1983. 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. After a birdie at No. 17 got him to 3-under, one shot off the lead, Brooks Koepka has bogeyed each of the last three holes. He's back to even par Here's how the cut works at the U.S. Open: Top 60 and ties, pretty simple. What does that mean? Currently, the cutline would be +4. That pus the following players on the wrong side: Jordan Spieth (+5)Tony FinauDustin Johnson (+5)Patrick Cantlay (+6)Justin Thomas (+ After putting his tee shot on the short par 4 17th just in front of the green, Scottie Scheffler needed four shots to get it in the hole. That's a bogey, his second in three holes, and pushes him to +4. It's been a tough go at the majors for Viktor Hovland, who after some top-5 finishes a few years ago, hasn't been a factor of late. 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
NBC Sports
13 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
German teenager Engel's historic run ends in straight-set loss to Auger-Aliassime
STUTTGART, Germany — A day after Justin Engel became the youngest tennis player in 40 years to reach a men's tour quarterfinal on grass, his run at the Stuttgart Open ended with a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. The 17-year-old German gave former U.S. Open semifinalist Auger-Aliassime a tough fight in the first set before the Canadian took a 7-6 (3), 6-3 win. Auger-Aliassime next plays second-seeded Taylor Fritz in the semifinals. The Canadian's victory keeps up a record of reaching the semifinals all three times he's played in Stuttgart. He was runner-up in 2019 and 2021. Engel's upset win over U.S. player Alex Michelsen on Thursday made him the youngest player to reach the quarters of any tour-level men's grass-court event since Boris Becker won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 1985. Engel this week also became the second-youngest player since 1990, behind Rafael Nadal, to have won a match on all three surfaces — grass, clay and hard-court — on the tour.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler Sends Emotional Message to Wife Meredith After Memorial Tournament Win
Scottie Scheffler Sends Emotional Message to Wife Meredith After Memorial Tournament Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The world's No. 1 ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler, continued his dominance on Sunday by securing his second consecutive victory at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus. Advertisement Scheffler joined Tiger Woods as only the second player to win back-to-back at this course, finishing 10-under for the weekend. This marked his third PGA Tour victory of the season and extended his remarkable streak of seven straight top-10 finishes. Despite his success, Scheffler made it clear that none of it would be possible without the unwavering support of his wife, Meredith Scudder, who has stood by him at every tournament win alongside their child, Bennett. During his post-win interview, CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis asked, 'You know, watching you, Meredith, and Bennett, it makes me think of Barbra Nicklaus and how much she contributed to Jack's career with her support. Talk about what this balance looks like for you and the support Meredith provides to help you be the best father, husband, and the No. 1 player in the world.' Scheffler's emotions surfaced instantly as he replied, 'Yeah, you're really trying to make me emotional now. My wife is my biggest supporter; she's my best friend. This is our life out here on the road, and it's been a lot of fun. We've had some special memories at this tournament, and yeah, I definitely couldn't do it without her.' The couple, both Texas natives and high school sweethearts, were married in December 2020. Advertisement Back in 2022, after winning his first Masters, Scheffler shared a powerful moment with Meredith that helped put everything into perspective. 'My identity isn't a golf score,' he said. 'Like Meredith told me this morning, 'If you win this golf tournament today, if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots, if you never win another golf tournament again,' she goes, 'I'm still going to love you. You're still going to be the same person. Jesus loves you, and nothing changes.'' Scottie Scheffler, his wife, Meredith, and son Bennett pose with the winner's trophy during the final round of the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson golf tournament.© Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images At just 28 years old, Scheffler has already accomplished a great deal in his young golf career. If he maintains the incredible form he's shown over the past two years, he's on pace to achieve some truly historic milestones. Advertisement Although he's not expected to play in the upcoming RBC Canadian Open, Scheffler still has two majors left this season—the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. Winning both would complete his career Grand Slam, a feat only a select few have ever achieved. Related: Scottie Scheffler Shares Viral Handshake with Jack Nicklaus After Memorial Tournament Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
