June 17 2011
3:04 PM
McIlroy joins elite group
BETHESDA, Md. -- When Rory McIlroy holed that pitching wedge for eagle at the eighth hole on Friday, he became the first player to ever hit double digits under par in the second round of the U.S. Open.
Prior to Friday, only four other players had hit double digits at the championship where par is valued above all others. Here are the others:
| Strokes | Player | Round | Course | Year | Finish |
| 12 | Tiger Woods | Four | Pebble Beach | 2000 | 1st |
| 12 | Gil Morgan | Third | Pebble Beach | 1992 | T13 |
| 11 | Jim Furyk | Third | Olympia Fields | 2003 | 1st |
| 11 | Ricky Barnes | Third | Bethpage Black | 2009 | T2 |
The 36-hole record in relation to par at the U.S. Open is 8 under and held by Woods and Barnes. Woods shot 8 under on the par-71 Pebble Beach layout in 2000 while Barnes reached the same number on the par-70 Bethpage Black course in 2009.
Looks like McIlroy will shatter that mark, too, doesn’t it?
June 19 2010
9:01 PM
Third-round tidbits
The 54-hole leader/co-leader has won 48 times, most recently Tiger Woods in 2008.
The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 11 of 24 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season, most recently Jason Day at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Third-round leads of the previous four U.S. Opens hosted at Pebble Beach Golf Links:
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | 8-under 205 | 10 over Ernie Els |
| 1992 | Gil Morgan | 4-under 212 | 1 over three players |
| 1982 | Bill Rogers, Tom Watson | 4-under 212 | 2 over four players |
| 1972 | Jack Nicklaus | Even par 216 | 1 over three players |
