US Open Thread

[Degz]

Anyway -11 is still not too bad. Hope that last hole doesn't affect his confidence though.

I hate to have to say this but it absolutely will do. McIlroy has shown two aspects of his temperament very clearly over the last few years:- (a) that he has the potential to choke when under serious pressure; and, perhaps more importantly, (b) that when he lets a shot or two get away, he tries to force it. He's going to come out tomorrow, trying to lash the ball off the tee and fly it at all the pins. I will be surprised if he breaks par; this tournament is far from over.

Mate of mine text me and said he was glad that the double bogey happened on the 18th, as it may affect the rest of his round otherwise. My view was that it now has the potential to ruin his whole round tomorrow.

Time will tell.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Anyway -11 is still not too bad. Hope that last hole doesn't affect his confidence though.

I hate to have to say this but it absolutely will do. McIlroy has shown two aspects of his temperament very clearly over the last few years:- (a) that he has the potential to choke when under serious pressure; and, perhaps more importantly, (b) that when he lets a shot or two get away, he tries to force it. He's going to come out tomorrow, trying to lash the ball off the tee and fly it at all the pins. I will be surprised if he breaks par; this tournament is far from over.

Tackle-bag, that double on 18 was in so small measure down to Mickelson flaffin' about behind the trees and the inevitable crowds he drags with him. Johnson played 1st and out of turn. Rory would hasve been itching to nudge his iron towards the bunker and risk a bogey but maybe a par.

I'm actually glad he done it today as it will keep him very well grounded and in check for the weekend. He only needs to be patient and play par golf from here on in and he's a winner.

That said today was a remarkable round of golf. A stunning display of golfing excellence i've never ever seen previously. Woods & Nicklaus in their pomp never drove the ball with such unerring accuracy, or flushed their irons with wonderful precision hole after hole. He simply tore up a horrendously difficult course with relative ease.

He won't choke from here on in. His interview after was calm and assured and i can't help feeling his trip to Haiti has given hin a whole new perspective.

If only McDowell or Harrington could get up the leaderboard and try and get paired with him for the weekend. It would benefit him immensly to have a fellow countryman to play with and deal with the inevitable pressure coming down the line.

[Donny B.]

Lowry at six over looks fupped.

Gmac and Harrington both level par for the tournament and looking decent bets to be around for the weekend.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Lowry at six over looks fupped.

Gmac and Harrington both level par for the tournament and looking decent bets to be around for the weekend.

Lowry not feeling the best according to today's IT. Suffering from stomach cramps yesterday so may have caught up with him.

Some of McIlroys play today was just stunning. Hopefully he can keep it together.

[Donny B.]

Lowry at six over looks fupped.

Gmac and Harrington both level par for the tournament and looking decent bets to be around for the weekend.

Lowry not feeling the best according to today's IT. Suffering from stomach cramps yesterday so may have caught up with him.

Some of McIlroys play today was just stunning. Hopefully he can keep it together.

It's gas. Everyone else bar McIllroy is having the normal, scrappy, struggle of a U.S. open.

Shame that Lowry couldn't make the cut as he wasn't that far off. Would have been great for his confidence.

Bar any disasters in their last two holes Harrington and McDowell should be around for the weekend and in a position to contend should Rors collapse, but hopefully it won't come to that.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Cant wait for tonights fare.

The young lad stands on the verge of history.

Never witnessed 3 rounds of near perfect golf in a Major until this week.

Par golf Rory, find the fairways, avoid the temptation to go gung-ho and it's all yours

[Grumpy Old Man]

Cant wait for tonights fare.

The young lad stands on the verge of history.

Never witnessed 3 rounds of near perfect golf in a Major until this week.

Par golf Rory, find the fairways, avoid the temptation to go gung-ho and it's all yours

Excellent first four holes anyway.

SB - Tiger at Pebble Beach in 2000?

Actually, there are lots of golfers who have played 3 rounds of nigh on perfect golf in a major, but who then buckled on the last day. Therefore we rarely remember them.

[tate]

streams http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?match ... art=sports

[Mackman15]

Different major, different tenth hole. That banishes the pain for ever.

Just give 'em the trophy

[22dropout]

Bit cringy when that gee bag threw the Tri color at him. The guys is clearly a proud ulster man....Leave him be

[rooster]

Bit cringy when that gee bagged threw the Tri color at him. The guys is clearly a proud ulster man....Leave him be

It's ok, his da had the wee fleg with him

[tackle-bag]

Bit cringy when that gee bagged threw the Tri color at him. The guys is clearly a proud ulster man....Leave him be

It's a very strange dynamic that exists in respect of both McIlroy and McDowell. Both players are of a Nationalist, Catholic background yet both have, to some extent at least, eschewed their "Irishness". We're all aware of the difficulties facing sports stars from the North in declaring their allegiances, with Eddie Irvine and Neil Lennon being two examples that immediately spring to mind. However, it's an issue which I think McIlroy could deal better with into the future, because he's going to be asked personal questions about his nationality etc. far more often now that he's at the very peak of the game. He has a history of making inopportune remarks in interviews which he needs to address.

[Donny B.]

Fantastic performance from Rory from start to finish. The improvement in his putting in the two months since Augusta was astonishing and it can still get better again. This is a major that every golf fan will remember forever.

He's one of the purest sporting talent this island have ever produced and the world is truly his oyster now.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Cant wait for tonights fare.

The young lad stands on the verge of history.

Never witnessed 3 rounds of near perfect golf in a Major until this week.

Par golf Rory, find the fairways, avoid the temptation to go gung-ho and it's all yours

Excellent first four holes anyway.

SB - Tiger at Pebble Beach in 2000?

Actually, there are lots of golfers who have played 3 rounds of nigh on perfect golf in a major, but who then buckled on the last day. Therefore we rarely remember them.

Tiger at Pebble was excellent but he used his irons a lot off the tee. McIlroy bombed his driver and found the fairways with ease. That takes balls and of course confidence.

I disagree there are lots of golfers who played 3 rounds near perfect golf. There are lots who play 3 very good rounds but none i've ever witnessed playing with the skill and brilliance of McIlory this week. Not even Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino, Player, Faldo and Woods matched him, he was that good.

[Sauvignon Blank]

Bit cringy when that gee bagged threw the Tri color at him. The guys is clearly a proud ulster man....Leave him be

It's a very strange dynamic that exists in respect of both McIlroy and McDowell. Both players are of a Nationalist, Catholic background yet both have, to some extent at least, eschewed their "Irishness". We're all aware of the difficulties facing sports stars from the North in declaring their allegiances, with Eddie Irvine and Neil Lennon being two examples that immediately spring to mind. However, it's an issue which I think McIlroy could deal better with into the future, because he's going to be asked personal questions about his nationality etc. far more often now that he's at the very peak of the game. He has a history of making inopportune remarks in interviews which he needs to address.

Not so sure about that.

[All the way back logue]

Watching Sergio Garcia is tortuous - tee to green fantastic and then falls apart over 5 footers - puts on 17 and 18 were horrendous. Its amazing - I would have thought that putting was probably the one part of the game that you could really make improvements on with the right coaching and technique - for instance McIlroy has been to Dave Stockton for instruction and looks to have benefited from it. Good to see Garcia back playing well though.

And just to add I don't think people should be getting hung up about McIlroy's nationality - he mentioned previously that he would represent GB in the Olympics and so be it.

[Vamos los azules]

And just to add I don't think people should be getting hung up about McIlroy's nationality - he mentioned previously that he would represent GB in the Olympics and so be it.

Does Rory not just describe himself as Northern Irish and representing Northern Ireland as a general rule? The Olympic team is "Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and if he wanted to represent Northern Ireland he would form part of the "Great Britain and Northern Ireland" team.

Anyway, no matter where he's from that was a very impressive performance and a great win for the lad.

[tackle-bag]

Bit cringy when that gee bagged threw the Tri color at him. The guys is clearly a proud ulster man....Leave him be

It's a very strange dynamic that exists in respect of both McIlroy and McDowell. Both players are of a Nationalist, Catholic background yet both have, to some extent at least, eschewed their "Irishness". We're all aware of the difficulties facing sports stars from the North in declaring their allegiances, with Eddie Irvine and Neil Lennon being two examples that immediately spring to mind. However, it's an issue which I think McIlroy could deal better with into the future, because he's going to be asked personal questions about his nationality etc. far more often now that he's at the very peak of the game. He has a history of making inopportune remarks in interviews which he needs to address.

Not so sure about that.

I can guarantee you that it's the case.

McIlroy's family, including his father, have a tradition of involvement in Armagh Gaelic Football at various levels. I think he even has an uncle who played in the 1977 All-Ireland Final, but I'd need to double check that. Anyway, I know people are always having hissy fits on this forum if you don't cite sources for such propositions, so here's an article from the Guardian in 2007 confirming McIlroy's religious/political background:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... esteelofeu

As you will see, that was written around the time Rory finished as the leading amateur in the British Open. It concludes with the following unambiguous statement:-

"What he will be like when he grows up we may only guess. What we do know is that he comes from a nice, warm family. As it happens they are Catholic. Whatever else, this suggests that the future may indeed be bright but, as it turns out, it is definitely not orange."

McDowell's position is slightly more nuanced. His mother is Catholic, his father Protestant. He was raised in the latter faith but with a distinctly nationalist outlook. A friend of mine played on Irish underage teams with him, and describes him as having been republican in his views. His position appears to have tempered considerably in recent years, but he still describes himself as Irish when asked the straight question. Here's an article in which he is quoted as doing so, during an interview with CBS in the States:-

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/sport ... 81234.html

[tate]

that settles that pointless argument.

congrats R Mac, i dont normally watch or care about golf but tuned in for the last 6 holes last night. Incredible stuff

[pip14]

Rory Mcilroy follows Unionist views according to some
People I spoke to at Hollywood golf club last night, his dad was holding a ulster flag with the crown afterwards anyway and Rory walked on when a tri-colour was thrown at him