US Open 2011: Rory McIlroy goes into final round of at Congressional with massive eight-shot lead over Y.E Yang

Record-breaking Rory McIlroy goes into the final round of the US Open today with a massive eight-shot lead over South Korea’s Y.E Yang.  

 Lee Westwood and Jason Day both fired 65s for a share of third place but it is McIlroy who continues to dominate the tournament, his 68 taking him to 14 under par, by two shots the lowest aggregate in the history of the event.

Watched by his father Gerry in the gallery, McIlroy was brilliantly efficient rather than spectacular, extending his overnight lead by two.

Playing alongside Yang, McIlroy rolled in four straight pars before his first birdie at the fifth. His bogey at the par-3 tenth was the only blight on his card.

The delayed start meant that McIlroy was hanging around until ten minutes to four in the afternoon, time enough, according to his manager, Andrew Chandler, to fire up the lap top and answer his emails before leaving his rented house for the drive to the course. His arrival triggered the first signs of McIlroy mania with the autograph hunters thrusting out hopeful pens.

There was hysteria, too, in the locker room with some of his colleagues drawing comparisons with Tiger Woods. “He’s that good,” Graeme McDowell, the defending champion and fellow Northern Irishman, said. Westwood must wish he could have Thursday back. His 65 yesterday was ten shots better than his opening round. After a quiet outward nine the world No 2 exploded down the home stretch with a hat-trick of birdies and an eagle in successive holes. 

Posted in: Top Stories