Can McIlroy finish in style this time?
Rory McIlroy is a young golfer who is likely to have a massive future ahead of him with many topping him as one of the leading lights in the game’s future. These opinions have been created due to a series of performances which have found him rubbing shoulders alongside some of the biggest names in the sport at the top of the leader board. At the end of round 3 at the US Open, McIlroy had surged into a six stroke lead but the golfer knows full well that starting a tournament strongly is only half the battle.
Recent memories could spur or hinder McIlroy
McIlroy doesn’t have to dig too far into his memory banks to find a time where a promising start faded away badly. In April 2011, McIlroy entered the final day of the Masters in Augusta in the lead, four strokes ahead of his nearest rival. The Irishman had performed strongly in the 3 previous days and a similar performance would have been enough to leave him at the top of the competition.
Sadly for McIlroy, he absolutely crumbled under the pressure and turned in a horrific performance which completely destroyed his hopes of taking the title. It was the worst round in golfing history for a professional player who had been in the lead at the Masters. This is why McIlroy will be taking nothing for granted as the US Open continues.
The bets are backing McIlroy
It could have been easy for McIlroy to go away licking his wounds and feeling sorry for himself after such a dismal showing but the fact that June has rolled around and he is back in contention shows that it hasn’t affected him too much. However, McIlroy knows he can do the early tournament work, the big test will come he goes into the final straight and whether he will be able to hold his nerve to finish the job in style. There is definitely a lot of sympathy from golf fans to McIlroy and this has no doubt influenced the large number of bets that have been placed on McIlroy to finish the US Open as a champion.
Scores of 66 and 65 took McIlroy to 11 under and saw him equal the record for the largest lead at the half-way stage in the US Open. Ye Yang is the closest to McIlroy and he will be hoping that lightning strikes twice with McIlroy succumbing to nerves once again but most in the golfing community would be pleased if the Irishman comes in first.