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Rory McIlroy is just two shots off the halfway lead heading into ‘moving day’ at the US Open as he looks to hunt down Rickie Fowler at the top of the leaderboard.
McIlroy covered his last nine holes on Friday in five under par to card a second round of 67 at Los Angeles Country Club, leaving him at -8 for the championship, as Fowler set the pace on -10 after a birdie-laden 68.
Fowler leads fellow American Wyndham Clark by one shot, who took advantage of generous fairways and soft morning conditions to reach nine under, while Xander Schauffele is two back alongside McIlroy after finishing strongly to shoot a 70 in the tougher afternoon conditions.
Harris English sits alone at -7 with Min Woo Lee and two-time major champion Dustin Johnson lurking at six under par. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler battled well to finish on -5 alongside Sam Bennett while, earlier on Friday, defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed a memorable moment with the third hole-in-one of the week.
Follow all the action from ‘moving day’ at the 123rd US Open:
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US Open 2023 – third round
Tommy Fleetwood took on a tree and won a little earlier. The Englishman is -1 for his round and +1 for the championship
US Open 2023 – third round
The earlier starters are out on the course already in California though. As ever, these men are highly unlikely to be challenging for the title but they can offer clues about the set-up, course conditions and scoring potential.
It looks like it could be a mentally draining day out there with tough pin positions and the leaders will need to stay patient and plot their way around. As it firms up, the course is biting back although there are still birdie opportunities, especially on the ‘easier’ front nine.
Shane Lowry is the man tearing it up so far, with the Irishman having made four birdies in his first nine holes to climb from +2 to -2 for the championship – he’s now inside the top 12!
Jon Rahm is currently two-under for his round, as are the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Ryan Fox (who was the first man out today, playing alongside a marker). On the flip side, David Puig is +3 through six holes and Ryo Ishikawa +4 after seven. Challengers beware…
US Open 2023 – third round
We’ve still got a bit of a wait until the leaders are out at Los Angeles Country Club. The final pairing of Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark won’t start until the slightly daunting time of 11.40pm BST.
Hopefully you’re ready for a late night because there’s going to be some world-class golf on ‘moving day’.
Rory McIlroy’s flying finish puts him right in contention at intriguing US Open
Rory McIlroy vowed he would never give up seeking more major titles after a flying finish left him just two shots off the halfway lead in the 123rd US Open.
McIlroy covered his last nine holes in five under par to card a second round of 67 at Los Angeles Country Club, where Rickie Fowler set the pace after a rollercoaster 68.
Fowler, whose opening 62 equalled the lowest score in any men’s major, made eight birdies, six bogeys and just four pars to post a 10-under-par halfway total of 130, equalling the lowest in a US Open set by Martin Kaymer in 2014.
Fowler’s 18 birdies over the first two days are also the most in championship history and kept the 34-year-old in pole position to claim a first major title.
McIlroy is seeking his fifth, and a first since the US PGA in August 2014, a month after he had won the Open at Royal Liverpool with a performance which has inspired this week’s approach.
Rory McIlroy’s flying finish puts him right in contention at intriguing US Open
McIlroy covered his last nine second-round holes in five under par to sit just two shots off the lead at the halfway mark
US Open 2023: Tee times and Round 3 schedule including Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler
Rory McIlroy is just two shots off the halfway lead heading into ‘moving day’ at the US Open as he looks to hunt down Rickie Fowler at the top of the leaderboard.
McIlroy covered his last nine holes in five under par to card a second round of 67 at Los Angeles Country Club, leaving him at -8 for the championship, as Fowler set the pace on -10 after a 68. Fowler, whose opening 62 equalled the lowest score in any men’s major, made eight birdies, six bogeys and just four pars to post a halfway total of 130, equalling the lowest in a US Open set by Martin Kaymer in 2014.
McIlroy will head out in the penultimate group of the day at 11.29pm BST alongside Xander Schauffele before Fowler and Wyndham Clark are the final duo to take to the course at 11.40pm BST.
Clark was a shot behind Fowler following a Friday 67, with Schauffle alongside McIlroy on eight-under after only managing to add a 70 to his opening 62. Harris English held outright fifth place on seven under with Dustin Johnson recovering from a quadruple-bogey eight on the second to remain six under, a total matched by Australia’s Min Woo Lee thanks to a superb 65.
Here are the full tee times for the third round at Los Angeles Country Club:
US Open 2023: Tee times and schedule for Round 3 including Rory McIlroy
US Open schedule
US Open 2023 – third round
Welcome back to The Independent’s coverage of the 2023 US Open. It’s ‘moving day’ in Los Angeles and Rory McIlroy is in prime position to move closer to ending that major drought as he eyes Rickie Fowler atop the leaderboard.
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