| lily |
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| Joined: 22 Oct 2011 |
| Posts: 351 |
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As Rory McIlroy prepared to tee off in search of glory on Sunday, Phil Mickelson's US Open came to an unhappy end.
McIlroy is eight strokes clear of the field and lies on 14 under par after 54 holes, while Mickelson finished on seven over after 72 holes thanks to a final round 71 that included a double bogey on the last hole - leaving TaylorMade R11 TP Driver
well outside the top 50.
After a disappointing 27th place finish in the Masters in April, it seems Mickelson's bid to win his first US open and become the No 1 ranked player in the world will have to wait even longer.
Mickelson played the first two rounds with McIlroy and was outscored by twelve shots. But the worst was to come on Saturday as he crashed to a 77, which included consecutive double bogeys on the 16th and 17th. (TaylorMade R11 TP Driver
)
The left-hander was far steadier out on course on Sunday, and negotiated the 16th and 17th with relative comfort, only to finish with a double bogey on the final hole, a par four stretched to a whopping 529 yards - the longest in US Open history - just as he did in Friday's second round.
McIlroy, meanwhile, needs only a 72 on Sunday to achieve the lowest-ever aggregate in the US Open, after already setting new championship records for 36 and 54 holes. ( TaylorMade R11 TP Driver
)
He won't be concerned about that, though, but rather about not imploding in similar fashion to his final-round 80 at the Masters earlier this year.
Should he win, he will become the youngest winner of the title since Bobby Jones in 1923, the second successive Northern Irish champion and the second youngest European winner of a major of all-time.
Luke Donald also finished his TaylorMade R11 TP Driver
, and managed to break into the 60s for the first time this week - eventually signing for a two-under 69. |
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