McIlroy is form man of Irish quartet

RORY McILROY shot a remarkable 23 birdies, eight of them in a final round of 68, and an eagle, but four players still finished ahead of him in the Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village on Sunday.

Ten bogeys and a couple of double bogeys negated much of the young Irishman’s brilliance. In spite of such a good finish in a high-class field, he has slipped one spot in the latest world rankings from sixth to seventh.

Nevertheless, of the quartet of Irishman heading for the second major of the season, the US Open starting at Congressional Country Club on Thursday week, McIlroy is definitely the one in form. Defending champion Graeme McDowell (who has dropped from sixth to eighth in the rankings) relinquished his grip on the Wales Open after a shocking third round of 81 on Saturday, Shane Lowry missed the cut and Pádraig Harrington has been confined to the sidelines over the past few weeks because of a leg injury.