Rory McIlroy needed just two rounds following his ‘Masters Meltdown’ to become ‘Congressional Commander’ in smashing a number of records on day two of the U.S. Open.
Despite a closing hole double bogey McIlroy broke new territory, storming his way to new golfing frontiers that no one have never ever been before.
McIlroy signed for five under par 66 to finish on 11-under par and eight shots clear of his nearest rival – Korean Y E Yang who carded a 69 to move to five under par.
The 22-year old McIlroy became the quickest player in the 116-year history of the U.S. Open to get to double digit under par figures.
A young scorer proudly shows off Rory McIlroy's record-setting 36-hole tally in the 2011 U.S. Open.
The Irishman’s effort eclipsed a 19-year record held by American Gil Morgan.
Morgan created the previous best mark in reaching double digit under par figures after 39 holes of the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
As well, McIlroy’s 11-under par 131 tally is also a new U.S. Open two round low while he fell one stroke shy of equallying the all-time European record of seven strokes.
“My golf has been very, very good and very near to the best I can play,” he said.
“For my second shot at the eighth to go in was fabulous but then I hit a couple of back nine that were just so pure.
“Hopefully, I can keep it going over the last two days. I am halfway there but there is still a long way to go.”
McIlroy’s only mishap was at the last when he found the water guarding the green before walking off with a double.
Awaiting the 2011 U.S. Open winner - the gleaming trophy and a place on Congressional's 'Wall of Champions'.
But in his two Majors this year, McIlroy has also either enjoyed the lead or shared the lead in five of six rounds.
So after blowing a four-shot lead heading into the final round of Augusta, the overwhelming challenge for McIlroy is to now go on and capture a first Major.
“It’s a big challenge now but as you can see from my play that every time I get myself into position in a Major Championship I am becoming more and more comfortable,” he said.
“That’s very important and I felt very much at ease today, and you are going to be at ease when you are hitting so many great shots.
“But every time I get myself into this position it just feels a lot more comfortable each time.”
Moments before tee off one of McIlroy’s ISM managers , Stuart Cage and a former Tour player, approached two Golf Channel staffers looking for a coin.
It seems both McIlroy and his caddy, J.P. McManus walked onto the first tee without a ball marker.
A fan offered Cage a one cent ‘penny’, but McIlroy preferred a quarter or 25 cent piece.
A U.S. Open volunteer came forward with one before the quarter found itself very close to the hole all round.
Despite playing in the company of the all-American duo of Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, McIlroy’s effort was drawing enormous crowd support.
Calls of ‘Well done, Rory’, ‘Keep it going’, Rory’ and the American sporting ‘battle cry’ of ‘You’re the man, Rory’ resonated down every fairway and from behind every green.
But the best came from a fan at the controversial par three, 10th, with one punter singing out: ‘Ease up on ‘em, Rory.’
Sergio Garcia lost two Major's to Ireland's Padraig Harrington and is not about to let Rory Mcllroy deny him his first Major title
You could see McIlroy heard the remark and simply smiled to himself.
But for most
spectators the comment was generally ‘what course is Rory playing?’
In fact, McIlroy was turning the course dubbed ‘The Playground of the Presidents’ into ‘Rory’s Roadshow’.
He had fans flocking from all parts of the course to get a glimpse of history in the making and with McIlroy now akin to the ‘Golfing Piped Piper’ as spectators jostled to catch the action.
And it wouldn’t come as a surprise if U.S. President, Barak Obama cancels his Saturday tee time alongside Republican John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, somewhere in the Washington area to get to Congressional.
Similar golf-mad U.S. President Bill Clinton did just that in 1994, and in a year Ernie Els won with a four-under par tally.
Mcllroy commenced his second round three clear of South African Charl Schwartzel, his fellow ISM management stable-mate who’d come from behind to birdie Augusta’s final four and win by two.
McIlroy stepped up to the first tee at 7.55am (local time) to a simple introduction: “From Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy.”
Now he’s on target to be introduced late tomorrow (SUN) as ‘2011 U.S. Open champion, Rory McIlroy’.
Even with the injured three-time U.S. Open winner, Tiger Woods at his best, one wonders if he could have matched the 36-hole performance of McIlroy.
Also there were outrageous suggestions when Padraig Harrington captured the back-to-back 2008 British Open and U.S. PGA Championships that in the absence of Woods an ‘asterisk’ should be added after the Dubliner’s name.
But in the absence also this year of Woods in the U.S. capital they’ll be sticking exclamation marks after McIlroy’s name on the trophy should he pull off U.S. Open success.
However there is many not yet prepared to hand McIlroy the trophy including Garcia, who saw his two chances to win a first Major denied to him by Padraig Harrington.
“It’s only Friday and there’s still a long way to go but if he keeps playing the way he’s playing then he’s going to be hard to beat,” said Garcia.
“No one looks like catching him but there is still two days to go and everyone knows how tough a U.S. Open can be.”
But Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, who knows McIlroy well, is one ready to hand the gleaming trophy.
“Rory’s hit one bad shot in two days and I’m sure he will win,” said Gallacher.
“It would also make up for what happened to Rory at Augusta.”
