Rory McIlroy made his mark on the front nine of his third round of the US Open with three successive birdies – including a remarkable 66-foot putt from off the green – to gain some much-needed momentum.
Shinnecock Hills was playing its most difficult of the week in a testing wind – one gust of 40mph was recorded in the morning – with rapidly-drying putting surfaces, but the Northern Irishman recovered from an early bogey by picking up three shots in a row.
That moved him to two under and when leader Wyndham Clark, who was just teeing off as McIlroy hit a brilliant approach to 16 feet at the tricky seventh for his third birdie, bogeyed the first he was just four behind.
The Northern Irishman bounced back well from dropping a shot at the third, where his approach rolled back off the front of the green, and while the same happened at the par-five fifth, he was there for two and putted up close for his first birdie of the day.
Having seen his ball slide off to the right of the sixth green, McIlroy judged his putt up the hill perfectly, and when the ball made its anticipated left turn, it never deviated from its path to the bottom of the cup.
The six-time major winner, looking for his first US Open title since his first major in 2011, celebrated with a fist pump and when he managed to stop his tee shot on the short third below the hole, a third birdie was forthcoming.
Unheralded American Sam Stevens birdied the first to get to four under, just two behind the leader, with Xander Schauffele sitting third on three under after opening with two pars.
Matt Fitzpatrick, looking to add to his 2022 US Open title and playing in the final group with Clark, also bogeyed the first to drop back alongside McIlroy on two under.
Emiliano Grillo, one of the early starters, produced the round of the day so far with a 67, which included four successive birdies from the sixth, to lift him to level par for the tournament.
“I looked at the weather this morning. I thought we were going to get nine very windy and then nine not so windy, but it just kept going up. It never slowed down,” said the Argentinian.
“I played solid all day. Four birdies on the front nine. Obviously when you stand on the 10th tee at four-under par (for your round) in the US Open, you’re just rushing to get it done and finish it.”
