While seven of the top 12 players heading into Saturday’s third round at the U.S. Open made at least one double bogey in strong wind and cool temperatures, Rory McIlroy was not among them.
The 2011 U.S. Open champion and four-time major winner made just one birdie in his score of three-over 73 on moving day at Brookline, but his putter provided salvation late.
He was able to keep himself within striking distance with a string of par saves, to sit three shots back from co-leaders Will Zalatoris and Matthew Fitzpatrick heading into the final round on Sunday at The Country Club.
"It was one of the toughest days on a golf course I’ve had in a long time,” McIlroy said afterwards.
"I just needed to grind it out, and I did on the back nine. To play that back nine at even par today was a really good effort, I thought. Just kept myself in the tournament. That's all I was trying to do. Just keep hanging around.
"I had some really good putts for pars coming in, 13, 15, great up-and-down on 16, good putt on 17. Then was really fortunate at the last to get that drop from the grandstand and be able to hit it on the green from there."
With only nine players under par for the tournament, blustery and overcast conditions provided palpable difficulty on Saturday.
"I know guys aren’t going to go out there and shoot the lights out," McIlroy said. "I mean, 67 from Will out there today is unbelievable. Such a good score. 68 from Fitz as well.
"I certainly thought I was going to be a few shots further back than I was at the end of the day, but Jon [Rahm] struggled there coming in.
"Even though it was such a tough day and feel like I battled well and whatever, to still only be three back going into tomorrow is a good thing for me."
Rose Zhang claims title in play-off on professional debut
Rose Zhang enjoyed a dream start to her professional career with victory in her first event in the Mizuho Americas Open.
Zhang, who only joined the paid ranks nine days ago, defeated Jennifer Kupcho on the second hole of a play-off after the pair had finished tied on nine under par at Liberty National Golf Club.
Kupcho set the clubhouse target after a closing 69 and Zhang needed to par the 18th to win in regulation, but found a bunker off the tee and was unable to get up and down from short of the green.
The 20-year-old American is the first player to win on the LPGA Tour in their professional debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951.
“What is happening? I just can’t believe it,” said Zhang after two putts for par on the second play-off hole were enough to beat Kupcho.
“It was just last week when I won NCAAs with my teammates. To turn pro and come out here, it’s just been amazing.”
Zhang confirmed she will be taking membership on the LPGA Tour which comes with the victory – after finishing her finals at Stanford and moving next week.
“I understand there is going to be a lot of bumps in the road and I’m expecting a lot of obstacles,” she said. “But I think this is just the start. This is just a stepping stone.
“It’s crazy that this is my first win, first professional win already, but no doubt there is going to be a lot more things happening down the road.
“I’m just going to be continuing to learn inside the ropes.”
Zhang spent a record 141 weeks at the top of the women’s amateur rankings, surpassing the previous best of 135 set by Ireland’s Leona Maguire.
She became the first women’s player to win two NCAA individual titles following her successful title defence at the end of May, a victory which saw her exceed the number of wins Tiger Woods achieved at Stanford.
Zhang also won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April and the US Women’s Amateur two years ago, as well as helping the United States to Curtis Cup wins over Great Britain and Ireland in 2021 and 2022.
Viktor Hovland edges out Denny McCarthy in play-off to win Memorial Tournament
Viktor Hovland defeated Denny McCarthy in a play-off to win the Memorial Tournament as Rory McIlroy suffered a disappointing final round in Ohio.
Hovland parred the first extra hole at Muirfield Village to win his fourth PGA Tour title after he and McCarthy had finished tied on seven under par.
The 25-year-old Norwegian had birdied the 15th and 17th to set the clubhouse target following a closing 70 and then saw McCarthy drop his first shot of the day on the 18th.
McCarthy then bogeyed the same hole in the play-off to miss out on a maiden PGA Tour win.
Hovland, who finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka in the US PGA Championship after a costly double bogey on the 16th hole of the final round, told CBS: “It feels even better after a few close calls the last few months.
“I didn’t really feel like I hit it my best the whole week, I just played really smart, played conservatively, really relied on my short game and I putted awesome this week.
“It’s fun to win one of these things without just ball-striking it to death. Now I can kind of rely on some other strengths as well.”
Hovland and McCarthy finished a shot ahead of world number one Scottie Scheffler, who surged through the field with a closing 67, despite ranking dead last in putting of those players who made the cut.
McIlroy began the day in a tie for the lead and was out in front when he chipped in for birdie on the fourth, but bogeyed three of the next four holes on his way to a 75 and a tie for seventh on three under par.
“I did what I wanted to do,” McIlroy said. “I thought if I could stay patient and put my ball in play off the tee, which I did pretty much all day, I only hit it in the long rough once…
“I was in the first cut three times and then the rest of the time I was in the fairway. So I did what I wanted to do, I just missed a few shots and those two bogeys on the par fives on the front nine were unforced errors.
“Once I was one over through nine holes and Denny was at eight under for the tournament, it’s hard to chase on that golf course the way it’s playing.
“I hit a couple of loose shots on the back nine that at least I know where they’re coming from, which is good, but it’s a step in the right direction.
“I feel a little better about everything compared to where I was a couple weeks ago at Oak Hill. So it’s obviously not the result that I wanted today, but I feel like there was a few more positives than there was a couple weeks ago.”
Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, who was two off the lead heading into the final round, withdrew shortly before his tee time after suffering back spasms.
“We were doing some reflex stuff, trying to reach down and try to pick something up like quick and low,” Morikawa explained.
“I’ve hurt may back briefly before, but nothing has been this bad. I think it’s the first tournament I’ve ever withdrawn from in my entire life. It sucks because this is a tournament that I love.
“I’ve played well and put myself in contention. But I have to look out for myself and got to be smart.”
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin wins first DP World Tour title after fine finish
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin produced a stunning approach to the final hole to seal his maiden DP World Tour title in style in the Porsche European Open.
McKibbin carded a final round of 70 in Hamburg to finish nine under par, two shots ahead of home favourites Marcel Siem and Max Kieffer and France’s Julien Guerrier.
The 20-year-old, who learned the game at the same club as four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, began the day in a six-way tie for the lead but birdied the fourth, seventh and ninth to move two shots clear.
Bogeys on the 11th and 13th, coupled with Kieffer’s birdie on the 16th, saw the pair tied at the top of the leaderboard, but McKibbin edged back in front with a birdie on the 15th and set up another on the par-five 18th with a nerveless second shot from 203 yards.
McKibbin, who graduated from the Challenge Tour last year and was making just his 26th start on the DP World Tour, told Sky Sports: “It’s pretty amazing.
“It was just nice to go out there and put a really, really nice round together. I always thought I was good enough to win but to prove it today was pretty special.
“I’ve learned a lot from failures, missing cuts by a shot, missing things very slightly so to take all those things I’ve learned and put them into play today was really nice.
“It probably won’t sink in until tomorrow but to have my dad here – he comes most weeks – is pretty special. To win in front of him is amazing.”
Asked about his second shot to the 18th, McKibbin added: “It’s probably one of the best shots I’ve hit.
“It was sort of tricky and it wasn’t. I was trying to hit just at the right edge of the green and if it turned over I knew the water wasn’t in play because if I turned it over it would have went further.
“It looked really good on camera I’m sure, but it was an easier shot than laying up and hitting over the water I thought.”
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