PAUL CASEY gave Rory McIlroy a dazzling lesson in how to tough it out as he produced one of the greatest fightbacks in Major championship history.
McIlroy’s troubled season crashed to a new low at the US Open, with miserable rounds of 78-71 condemning him to his third missed cut in his last five Majors.
His tame submission on five over par looked even worse as Casey overtook him as the talk of Erin Hills and hit the top of the leaderboard.
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Casey started the second round one shot off the lead, and he pulled level with overnight pace-setter Rickie Fowler with a birdie at his second hole, the 11th.
But he looked to be disappearing into the pack as he sandwiched a ‘double bagel’ eight at the long 14th with dropped shots at 12 and 15.
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Casey responded with a brilliant run of five birdies in a row from the 17th to the third to repaired the damage and finished with a face-saving 71 to add to his first round 66 to go seven under par.
And he has plenty to smile about as he shares the lead with fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Americans Brian Harman and Brooks Koepka heading into the weekend.
US OPEN LEADERS
T1. Paul Casey -7
T1. Tommy Fleetwood -7
T1. Brooks Koepka -7
T1. Brian Harman -7
T5. Jamie Lovemark -6
T5. Rickie Fowler -6
T5. JB Holmes -6
After showing off a saucy picture of wife Pollyanna – the former Gadget Show presenter, which he uses as a mobile phone cover, he said:
“It wasn’t a great feeling when it all went pear-shaped at the 14th, but the good thing was I had plenty of time to turn it round. And I was proud of how I did that. It was great to go on a tear like that.
“I think it helps that I’ve been doing this for a lot of years, so I don’t put myself under so much pressure as I used to. And being happy off the course also helps.”
The world No 14, who will turn 40 next month, is in a great position to challenge for his first Major title – and could enter history as the first US Open champion to recover from a triple bogey.
After refusing to reverse his decision last year to turn his back on the European Tour and rejoin the Ryder Cup fold, the Arizona-based Englishman can also expect to have his arm twisted by new captain Thomas Bjorn.
McIlroy’s hopes of a fifth Major had already been shredded by his disastrous opening round, when his claim that anyone who could not hit the 60 yard fairways here “should pack the bags and go home” blew up in his face.
He missed more fairways than anyone in the 156-man field on day one – nine out of 14 – but he could not blame a dodgy driver this time.
The world No 2 missed the short stuff just three times on his second attempt. It was the flat stick that refused to co-operate.
He four-putted the par five first hole after leaving himself just over thirty feet for an eagle – and that came immediately after a three-putt par on the long 18th.
McIlroy did manage five birdies to at least sign off with a sub-par round.
But four of them came after his fate was sealed when he stumbled to nine over par with six holes to play. And all but one of his gains came from tap-in range.
With this calamitous showing coming on top of two long lay-offs with a recurring rib injury, McIlroy has still not got going at all this year.
He has a lot of ground to make up, which is an alarming thought with less than five weeks until the Open at Birkdale – and under two months until the USPGA Championship brings the curtain down on this year’s Majors.
Since winning the Open and the USPGA during the most spectacular run of his career so far, McIlroy has hardly had a look-in at golf’s biggest events – a fact he will find more worrying than his injury woes.
McIlroy will stay in the States to play in next week’s Traveler’s Championship. He managed a joke at his own expense saying: “I turned up for the last six holes at least!
He added: “After so much time off I need competitive rounds with a card in my hand, and although this is really disappointing these two rounds will serve me well in a busy summer.
“I was a bit rusty and anxious in the first round, but I hit it a lot better of the tee today and gave myself a lot more birdie chances. I freed up towards the end, and started to show what I can do. That is one positive to take out of this.”
Another Major winner at crisis point is Danny Willett, who has hardly hit a shot worth the name since his Masters victory last year.
He pulled out of this event with a back injury – a problem that has plagued him in the past – although his fate had already been sealed after he fired a woeful 81 in the first round.
The man who replaced Willett as Masters champion, Sergio Garcia, kept alive his Grand Slam dream by adding a 71 to his opening 70. He is well-placed at three under heading into the final 36 holes.
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