English duo lead as big names fall

Englishmen chase first major, but McIlroy, Day and Johnston all miss cut

Heading home – Rory McIlroy saw his hopes of US Open glory end yesterday as a second round 71 left him five over par and well outside the cut mark at Erin Hills. See TheSport. Getty.

Four years after Justin Rose ended a 43-year wait for an English winner, Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood headed into the third round of the US Open at Erin Hills in a four-way tie for the lead.

Rory McIlroy heads home, having recorded a 71 thanks to four birdies in his last six holes, but the damage had already been done by a 78 on Thursday, when a record 44 players had broken par in the benign conditions.

Casey recovered from a triple-bogey on his fifth hole of the day to add a 71 to his opening 66 and set a clubhouse target of seven under par, which was later matched by Fleetwood and American duo Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman.

Fleetwood, who had made just one halfway cut in his previous seven majors, birdied the last to add a 70 to his opening 67, with overnight leader Rickie Fowler’s 73 leaving him on six under alongside compatriots Jamie Lovemark and JB Holmes.

Hideki Matsuyama was part of a fivestrong group a shot further back after a brilliant 65, the Japanese star racing to the turn in 30 and picking up another shot on the 13th before having to settle for five closing pars.

Casey’s opening 66 had left him a shot off the pace and he swiftly joined Fowler in the lead with a birdie from close range on the 11th, his second hole of the day, only to bogey the next and run up a triple-bogey on the 14th.

The 39-year-old was only able to move his fourth shot a matter of inches in heavy rough over the back of the green on the par five, before hacking out sideways and taking three putts from just off the green.

However, after dropping another shot on the 15th, Casey regained his composure superbly to birdie the 17th and 18th, the latter being the second longest hole in major history at 676 yards.

And the former Ryder Cup player then made it five birdies in succession – just one short of the US Open record equalled by Adam Hadwin on Thursday – by picking up shots on the first, second and third.

“It feels good,” said the 39-year-old, who has recorded three consecutive topsix finishes in the Masters but whose sole top-10 finish in 13 US Open appearances came at Oakmont a decade ago.

“It’s not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an eight on the card, but I’m a pretty happy man.

“It was a good display, all my own fault, of what can happen if you get out of position on this golf course. Even just trying to take my medicine is very, very difficult. It’s a good eight in the end.

“I lost a bit of skin out there. I got out of position, but it’s the attitude, it’s the grit that matters at the end of the week.

“I had been swinging it well and it felt really, really good a couple holes later to be picking the ball out of the hole for a birdie. Then clawed all the way back and actually picked up one more to the good by the time we were finished.”

Asked if he would have been able to recover from such a mistake earlier in his career, Casey added: “In my good seasons, yes, but there have been times when I struggled, so probably not!

“I was upset with the score I had made, but it did not have any effect on my attitude or how I was going to then approach the rest of the round or the next shot. Part of that is just age and part I’ll give credit to Johnny McLaren (his caddie), credit to my wife and my little boy.”

McIlroy’s pre-tournament comments proved disappointingly accurate after he had predicted that anyone who could not hit the wide fairways “might as well pack your bags and go home”.

The world number two hit just five of them to tie for last in the 156-man field in that category on day one, but still made four bogeys on Friday despite hitting 11 of 14 fairways.

“I showed up for the last six holes at least,” joked McIlroy, who was three over par after 12 holes before carding birdies on the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth.

“I saw some positives on the back nine to take into next week and, even though this is disappointing, the last two rounds will serve me well in this busy summer.”

While McIlroy and former world number one Jason Day missed the cut, amateur Cameron Champ – who turned 22 on Thursday – and Xander Schauffele were unlikely contenders on five under par, alongside Players Championship winner Si Woo Kim.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia was two shots further back following a 71, with England’s Andrew Johnston another shot back on two under.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay shot another 73, leaving him alongside Justin Rose at two over, with the cut likely to fall at one over.

World number one Dustin Johnston looked also likely to miss the cut on three over with one hole to play.

Rose, pipped by Garcia at Augusta in April, had a 74 yesterday.

Russell Knox, starting at the 10th, had two sixes in a half of 40 to fall back to five over but playing partner and fellow Scot Martin Laird was faring better.

Laird, who began the day on level par, was on two under with two holes to play.