Rory McIlroy humiliated as air-shot caught on camera during strong US Open first round
An air shot by the 18th green left Rory McIlroy red-faced at the US Open on Thursday. But it was the only black mark on an otherwise sublime first round from the Northern Irishman who finished his first round in touching distance of the tournament leaders.
Low scoring is not usually something associated with what is generally considered golf’s most difficult Major, but it was a different story at the Los Angles Country Club, where many top players including McIlroy were competing for the very first time.
On a groundbreaking day, Rickie Fowler set a new record for the lowest first-round score in US Open history with a phenomenal eight under par 62, only for fellow Californian Xander Schauffele to follow suit just minutes later.
But McIlroy was in no mood to admire the competition leaders and came firing out of the blocks, producing five birdies on the front nine to reach the midway point of his round in just 30 strokes.
By the time he reached the 18th, he was six under par, but a disaster becoming of a high handicapper was about to unfold. Having smashed a 357-yard drive down the fairway, his second shot landed in the thick rough in front of a raised bunker, next to the green.
