LAST UPDATE | 18 hrs ago

RORY MCILROY STUMBLED from a share of the lead with a two-over-par 72 in the second round of the US Open at Pinehurst.

McIlroy had fired a bogey-free opening five-under-par 65 on Thursday to share the 18-hole lead with ninth-ranked Patrick Cantlay, an American seeking his first major title who tees off in the afternoon.

But chasing his first major win in 10 years, he finished his second round with a bogey to stand on three-under par through 36 holes.

That left him level for fifth heading into the evening.

McIlroy, a back-nine starter, struggled early with bogeys at 11 and the par-3 15th but a birdie at the third put him on 4-under, one off the pace.

The Northern Irishman rolled in a clutch par putt from just inside 40 feet at the par-3 17th, then sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the third to reach 4-under.

A bogey at the last, however, left a sour taste as the joint overnight leader fell back among the chasing back heading into Saturday.

Shane Lowry, meanwhile, is in danger of missing the cut after adding a one-over-par 71 on Friday to his costly opening-round 74. Lowry sits on five over par alongside McIlroy’s playing partner, pre-tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler replicated Lowry’s first round during his own second, shooting 74 on Friday. It was the first birdie-less major round of Scheffler’s career, the two-time Masters champion undone by bogeys at the par-3 15th and 17th as well as a double on the par-5 fifth.

Last month’s PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele also double-bogeyed the fifth (McIlroy parred), but he is four off the lead after shooting 69 to stand on 139 in a share of 10th.

Belgium’s Thomas Detry reeled off two three-birdie runs on Friday to seize the early lead in the second round as former co-leader Patrick Cantlay prepared to tee off at Pinehurst.

World number 55 Detry, like McIlroy a back-nine starter, birdied the 11th, 12th and 13th holes before a bogey at 14, then birdied the first, third and par-5 fifth to reach 6-under par, one ahead of Cantlay.

Sharing third on four-under was late starter Ludvig Aberg, the world number six from Sweden who was runner-up in April’s Masters in his major debut, and 2020 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau, last month’s PGA Championship runner-up, endured a roller-coaster round of five birdies and four bogeys but dropped his approach inches from the hole at 18 for a tap-in birdie to shoot 69 and match Aberg at four-under 136.

Detry matched his PGA Tour best finish with a runner-up effort in March’s Houston Open.

The 31-year-old Belgian had his best major finish last month with a share of fourth at the PGA Championship.

Detry sank a 17-foot birdie putt at 11, a 13-footer at 12 and a 16-footer at 13 before missing the green on his approach at 14 and making bogey.

At the first hole, Detry dropped his approach just outside three feet and made the birdie putt, then sank a 22-foot birdie putt at the third to match Cantlay for the lead.

At the fifth, Detry reached the green in two to set up a tap-in birdie to swipe the lead.

You can view the full leaderboard here.

– © AFP 2024

Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.