Open misery as McIlroy switches focus to Portrush

Rory McIlroy three-putted and looked certain to crash out of the US Open and miss his fourth cut from his last five starts.

The defending champion, 23, was never at the races at a fast and firm Olympic Club as he added a 73 to his opening 77 to finish on 10 over.

“It’s a reminder to keep working hard,” McIlroy confessed.

“I know the game doesn’t come easy. I felt like I played okay to be honest but you only have to be a fraction off here and you are making bogeys. “It’s disappointing but I will just head home and play some links golf at Royal Portrush and get ready for the Irish Open.”

A two putt birdie at the driveable seventh, his 17th, gave him hope but he left his 20 foot birdie chance 30 inches short at the 192-yard eighth and rammed it six feet past.

McIlroy committed US Open suicide when he decided to attack the course with his driver, hitting just over half the fairways and greens.

He made just three birdies in two days and must now come up with a viable game plan when taking on hard and fast tracks in future.

He was seven over starting the day and when pal Grame McDowell said that was “a big hole for any player”, he wasn’t wrong.

The Holywood star made life difficult for himself when he putted off the green from 50 feet at the 12th and bunkered his tee shot at the short 13th to drop back-to-back shots and slip to nine over.

He birdied the 17th from five feet to turn for home inside the cut line but bogeyed the third and fifth to slip to 10 over.

While he birdied the driveable 275-yard seventh, his closing bogey appeared certain to seal his fate.

It was also a short week for US Open debutant Peter Lawrie as he added a 77 to his opening 74 to miss the cut on 11 over.

The Dubliner bogeyed the first and double bogeyed the second, then dropped another five shots to the turn to slip to 12 over.

He birdied the 10th but couldn’t pick up any more shots coming in but insisted afterwards his game is good enough to compete in majors.

Lawrie said: “I played poorly at the start of my round, to be fair. I missed too many fairways, and it’s very tough to score out of the rough round here.

“But I battled back well and gave myself plenty of chances on the way in, on the 14th 15th, 17th and 18th — I just couldn’t take any of them.

“It’s a bit of an eye-opener to see how tough a golf course can be set up. There’s not much enjoyment in missing the cut and going home early, but I can still take some positives from the week.

“I brought my game here, but it just didn’t happen. But c’est la vie, hopefully I’ll be back more often.”