UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington — An ugly finish to the second round all but destroyed Rory McIlroy's chances of winning the U.S. Open.
The world number one had missed the cut in his previous two events, so the good news at Chambers Bay on Friday was that he did not extend his streak to three consecutive early exits.
But the bad news was that a four-putt double-bogey at the 17th, along with a bogey at the last, left the Northern Irishman a distant nine strokes from the lead.
It was nothing short of disastrous for McIlroy, because he played some fine golf mid-round and after an eagle at the short par-four 12th seemed set to finish the day within striking distance going into the weekend.