Master McIlroy burns it up

Golf:HIS FINAL act of a mesmerising round was to act like a normal human with emotions of his own. After Rory McIlroy's only blemish, a finishing double-bogey, he back-handed his Titleist ball into the lake behind the 18th green here at Congressional Country Club and, then, bounced across the pontoon bridge with all the grace of someone able to walk on water. He had a strut in his step, and deserved to have.

On a beautifully sunny day on this course some 10 miles north of the White House, McIlroy’s second-round 66 for 131, 11-under-par, enabled him to make capital gain on the field. The 22-year-old Ulsterman – bouncing back from the heartache and trauma of his collapse in the Masters two months ago – took an important step towards his goal of winning the 111th US Open, reaching the midway stage with a record-breaking 36-holes total and an imposing lead on his would-be pursuers.

For 17 holes of his second round, McIlroy played majestically. In compiling the lowest 36 hole score in US Open history – breaking by one the mark set by Ricky Barnes at Bethpage in 2009 – McIlroy put himself into position heading into the weekend of gaining some redemption for the travails meted out to him at Augusta. And, more importantly, of winning his first Major title.

“You know, it’s funny to me, (but) it feels quite simple,” said McIlroy of his own game. “I’m hitting fairways. I’m hitting greens. I’m holing my fair share of putts, and that’s really been the key . . . . I’ve just really stuck to my game plan and committed to my targets. That’s basically it.”

Simple, really. McIlroy’s imperious talent made it seem that way. Whilst the vast majority of the field fought to get under par, McIlroy simply continued on from where he had left off on Thursday evening. And, although he signed for a score one stroke higher than his first-round effort, the brilliance of yesterday’s golf left those privileged to see it beguiled.

Who needs Tiger? Woods, absent from this championship as he recovers from an Achilles injury which also threatens his participation in next month’s British Open, may be in decline. But McIlroy’s emergence and on-course exuberance – hitting one great shot after another – has made him the natural successor to the long-time world number one.

Ironically, McIlroy’s post-Masters pick-me-up came with words from the man Woods has been chasing in the record books. Jack Nicklaus, who has a career high 18 Major titles, spoke to McIlroy a fortnight ago prior to the Northern Irishman undertaking a reconnaissance visit to Congressional as part of his preparations for the championship.

Of that talk with Nicklaus, McIlroy revealed: “He said he always put pressure on himself, that he expected to play well. He expected to be up there all the time. And he said to me, ‘I expect you to do the same thing’. I took a lot from it, (that) you’ve got to go out there with a belief you’re playing well and to put yourself in position to win.”

McIlroy added: “After Augusta, I said I needed to be a little more cocky, a little more arrogant on the golf course, and to think a little bit more about myself, which I’ve tried to incorporate a little bit, just on the golf course. I just try and have a bit of an attitude, you know?”

Certainly, McIlroy – who has finished third in three of the last four Majors and held the 54-hole lead at the Masters only to stumble in the last round – has again put himself into a very strong position heading into the final two rounds.

“I put a lot of what I’ve done the last few Majors down to my preparation. I like to get to the tournament venue the week before, usually on the Wednesday, Thursday, or Thursday, Friday. Get two runs in and just me and my caddie (JP Fitzgerald) to get a good look at the greens, to map the greens out, and really get a feeling of what you want to hit off tees and the lines off tees,” said McIlroy.

Yesterday’s round by McIlroy – featuring five birdies, an eagle and a double bogey – featured superb play tee-to-green (missing just three greens in regulation) and also featured an assured touch around the greens, an area of his game which has improved immensely since taking up with former US Ryder Cup captain Dave Stockton. The results were clear for all to see, as he took a major step in his quest for a breakthrough Major title.

The highlight of McIlroy’s round was an eagle two on the Par 4 eighth hole – where he holed out with a wedge from 114 yards – and, remarkably on an US Open set-up, he managed to keep any dropped shots off his scorecard for 35 holes until his finishing hole yesterday.

“The club turned over a bit,” he explained of his recovery from the trees to the 18th, before adding: “I’m very happy with my position. I couldn’t have asked for any more standing on the first tee . . . . if I keep playing the way I’m playing, I’ve got a good chance.”

Meanwhile, the two Irishmen who have already savoured Major wins – Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell – manoeuvred into positions to join the pursuit of McIlroy. Although their rounds were hampered by a 42-minute weather delay, Harrington recovered from a bogey at the third to pick up birdies at the eighth and 12th to move to one-under through 12 holes, while McDowell overcame a bogey-bogey start on the 10th and 11th with a birdie on the 17th.