Rory Shatters 36-Hole Records; Unleashes Torrent Of Tiger References
/Before we get to the Tiger references, the general coverage of Rory McIlroy's 131, 36-hole all time low performance at Congressional. Lawrence Donegan swoons:
What does a man do after he has made the fiendishly difficult look ridiculously easy? What does he do after he has tamed the US Open and reduced the best players in the world to the status of bystanders. "I'm going to spend a couple of hours watching The Hangover 2," said Rory McIlroy.
And with that the young Northern Irishman wandered off into the haze of a humid afternoon with the merest hint of a gunslinger's swagger, leaving the locals — or in this instance his peers — in awe over what had just taken place.
"It's amazing. Incredible," said the American Steve Stricker, who finished with a two-round score of 144, 13 shots adrift of the Northern Irishman.
In just about any other Open, Mickelson would have been right in the mix to win the championship with 36 holes to play.
Instead, he's fighting to be relevant in the B Flight, six shots back of Y.E. Yang -- which is really about where you would expect the leader of the tournament to reside.
Dave Kindred says that Rory's first 36 "has passed beyond fantasy into phantasmagoria."
Rory McIlroy! We want us some more Rory McIlroy, and we want it now. He puts up a 66 after the 65 and we want two more 60-somethings. Here's a vote for Rory McIlroy to run away and hide in this U.S. Open.
And now the Tiger mentions. Doug Ferguson, filling for AP:
Not since Tiger Woods humbled Pebble Beach in the 2000 championship has anyone come so close to owning this maddening game. Yet McIlroy's timing this week may be even more impeccable than his golf.
With Woods still in free-fall since plummeting from grace 19 months ago, and now sidelined for who knows how long by a bum leg, McIlroy has awed the galleries and his competitors with a blend of power and touch unrivaled since Woos was at the peak of his powers. He's brought buzz back to the sport for at least two days in nearly the same measure.
There are still two rounds to go but this Open’s probably over.
Now it becomes about the next one.
And the one after that.
Earl Woods thought his son didn’t need a challenge.
I think he was wrong.
Tiger Woods has lost his way.
The question now becomes whether he rises to the challenge.
Gene Wojcichowski says Rory is doing a "killer impersonation" of Tiger in 2000.
Who said Tiger Woods isn't at the U.S. Open? I've seen him all week.
You know who I'm talking about: Irish accent ... hair as curly as a telephone cord ... almost has the field lapped after two rounds. That guy.
Wait -- sorry, I meant Rory McIlroy. Woods is on the golf disabled list with a bum knee and Achilles. Nobody knows when he'll be back.
Golf is fickle, and golf is cruel, and for those reasons the field still has a chance here. Thirty-six holes is a long time in a major championship.
“He's striking it flawlessly and putted great on the greens,” Mickelson said. “His first two rounds were very impressive.”
