Relentless Rory McIlroy showed no mercy to his pursuers in the US Open third round as he extended his lead at Congressional Country Club to an astonishing eight strokes.
Bristling with confidence, the Ulsterman fired a 68 for a US Open record total of 14-under par and he ended the day comfortably clear of South Korea’s Yang Yong-Eun, who was alone in second after a 70 on Friday.
England’s Lee Westwood and Jason Day of Australia, who both had 65s, and Robert Garrigus of the United States, with a 68, were a further stroke back.
McIlroy’s eight-stroke lead is the largest at the US Open after 54 holes since Tiger Woods led by 10 at that stage atPebble Beach in 2000. Woods eventually won by a majors-record 15 strokes.
This time, though, the gap at the top of the leaderboard is enormous for a major tournament and it would take an unprecedented collapse for McI roy to be deprived of his first major title at the tender age of 22. Playing with Yang, McIlroy started the day with a six-stroke margin, the equal-best-ever halfway lead in US Open history.
He parred the first three holes and then a birdie at the fifth, coupled with a bogey from Yang on the second when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker, meant that McIlroy had extended his lead over the Korean to seven.
{{/usCountry}}He parred the first three holes and then a birdie at the fifth, coupled with a bogey from Yang on the second when he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker, meant that McIlroy had extended his lead over the Korean to seven.
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