Paul Casey rode a rollercoaster to a four-way share of second-round lead at the US Open on Friday but it was the end of the line for the world’s three top-ranked players
erin — Rory McIlroy and Steve Elkington engaged in a social media spat after the Australian took a potshot at the world number two who missed the cut at the US Open on Friday.
Elkington, the 1995 PGA Championship winner, suggested that McIlroy had lost interest in adding to his collection of four major championships.
“Rory is so bored playiing golf... without Tiger the threshold is prolly 4 majors with 100mill in bank,” Elkington wrote on Twitter.
“Nobody more gifted than Rory... Hes so bored playing golf on tour,” Texas-based Australian Elkington wrote in a separate tweet. McIlroy was not amused. “More like 200mil... not bad for a ‘bored’ 28 year old... plenty more where that came from,” replied the Northern Irishman. Elkington said Jack Nicklaus never discussed his earnings, to which McIlroy called out the Australian’s spelling and wrote “That’s why jack designed 100’s of golf courses... and it’s knew... mustn’t have taught grammar in the 50’s.”
The exchange came after McIlroy struggled to avoid the brutal Erin Hills rough in a shocking firstround 78 en route to an early exit from the year’s second major.
For the first time since 1974, four players head into the weekend tied atop the leaderboard, with Americans Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman and English duo Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood locked at seven-under 137. That foursome does not quite roll off the tongue like the 1974 gang of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd and eventual winner Hale Irwin, but nevertheless.—