McIlroy extends lead in Open second round
Rory McIlroy extended his lead Friday to six strokes midway through his second round of the U.S. Open.
Aided by an eagle 2 at the eighth hole, Rory McIlroy extended his lead Friday to six strokes midway through his second round of the U.S. Open while becoming the fifth player in the championship's history to get to double digits under par.
McIlroy, who held a 3-shot lead after firing a 65 in Thursday's first round at Congressional Country Club, holed out his approach at No. 8, a 354-yard par-4. The ball hit beyond the hole, took the slope and rolled about 20 feet right into the cup.
That eagle moved McIlroy to 10-under par. Only Gil Morgan, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Ricky Barnes have reached at least 10-under in the Open. Woods, who finished 12-under in winning the 2000 Open at Pebble Beach, holds the mark for the lowest total in relation to par.
The 22-year-old McIlroy parred his first three holes before sinking a 25-foot birdie putt at the fourth. He followed with a birdie at the par-5 sixth. He made the turn in 4-under 32 after a par at the ninth, another par-5.
Zach Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters, used an eagle at No. 6 to move into second place. He is 4-under for the round and for the tournament through eight holes.
Robert Garrigus, who is in his seventh year on the PGA Tour, had three birdies in his first 10 holes for a 3-under total, tying him for third with Y.E. Yang, who will begin his round in the afternoon.
Sergio Garcia, who is playing in his 48th straight major, now the longest streak of any active player, was even-par for the day through nine and 2-under for the tournament. Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who was tied for second with Yang after the first round, has dropped a shot and is tied at 2-under with Garcia and two others.
Phil Mickelson, seeking his first Open championship after a record five runnerup finishes, birdied three holes in a four-hole stretch on the front nine and sits at even-par entering the back nine. When he teed off the 10th, he was tied for 17th.
Thunderstorms late Thursday night have softened the greens but the players teeing off in the morning have encountered heavy rough moistened by the rain.
--Joe Juliano