- Woodland (9-under) takes lead ahead of Rose, Oosthuizen
- Rory McIlroy rallies for 5-under finish, four shots off lead
- Tiger Woods ‘a little hot’ after poor finish to second round
Should Rory McIlroy summon the weekend spirit of Ontario, there would be little point in the remainder of this US Open field turning up for rounds three and four. Alas, professional golf remains an unpredictable beast. An outlandish Friday finish from Gary Woodland also supplied a degree of separation which, even with 36 holes to go, may prove pivotal. Woodland holed out from 49ft at the last for a 65 and two-shot lead, at nine under par.
McIlroy was already in contention for what would be a first major success since 2014 before stepping to Pebble Beach’s 1st tee on Friday. What transpired thereafter – if at varying levels – endorsed the Northern Irishman’s claims. Just days after swaggering to Canadian Open glory with closing rounds of 64 and 61, the 30-year-old is in the mix again. “Another couple of rounds in the 60s and I’ll take my chances,” said a bullish McIlroy.
Written by Ewan Murray at Pebble Beach
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jun/14/gary-woodland-us-open-mcilroy-oosthuizen under the title “Gary Woodland moves into lead at US Open as sturdy Rory McIlroy looms”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
