McIlroy increases lead

Rory McIlroy increased his lead to seven strokes, but it was much harder work than the 22-year-old was hoping for at the start of his US Open third round today.

Swede Fredrik Jacobson showed what was possible by charging from 25th to second with six birdies in his first 11 holes.

But as he failed to get up and down from a bunker at the short 13th McIlroy, forced to wait until 3.50pm to resume his bid to succeed compatriot Graeme McDowell as champion, almost holed from the sand at the 470-yard fourth for another great save.

The first had come on the 466-yard third. His drive was pushed into thick rough and with branches in front of him he opted to chip out, then pitched from 100 yards to three feet.

By then playing partner YE Yang, the only man within nine shots of the Northern Irishman overnight, had slipped seven behind, straying into a bunker off the tee at the short second and failing even to make the green from there.

McIlroy had resumed on 11 under par, his 131 for the first 36 holes setting a new record for the 111-year-old championship and his six-stroke advantage equalling that of Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000.

Woods had gone on to win by a major record 15, but he, of course, was not carrying the baggage of a closing 80 at The Masters just two months earlier - and that from four in front after three rounds.

First of the Europeans into action today had been Luke Donald and the only leaf he took out of McIlroy’s book was to repeat his double bogey on the 18th.

After dropping three shots in the last two holes for a three over par 74 and seven over aggregate – 18 adrift of his Ryder Cup team-mate – England’s world number one was not even in the top 60.

And after 10 successive top-10 finishes going all the way back to mid-February, Donald said: “I probably peaked too early.

“I certainly have not had my best golf this week. All facets have not been sharp enough, for whatever reason.

“There are not too many positives other than I get to go home a bit earlier tomorrow.”

A bad drive cost him a shot on the 437-yard 17th and at the last his ball collected mud off the wet fairway – there had been two rain delays on Friday - and his six-iron approach went right and long into the lake.

On McIlroy’s prospects of a first major Donald said: “If he shoots anywhere near par he should have this in the bag.

“I said a couple of years ago he is one of the greatest talents in the game right now and you see him winning lots of times.”

McIlroy does, though, have a mere two victories to his name as a professional so far.

McIlroy was much more solid on the fifth and when he made a 12-footer he was eight clear and back to the record 12 under par mark that only he, Woods and Gil Morgan have ever reached in the event.

He and Jacobson were not the only Europeans on the leaderboard. Back-to-form Henrik Stenson got to three under before bogeying the 12th and world number two Lee Westwood, continuing to hit back from his opening 75, was joint ninth as well when he birdied the 13th and 14th.

Making it into the top 10 from 84th on Thursday night was some effort from Westwood, but when he rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt on the long 16th he was in second spot - albeit seven behind his young stablemate.

If it stayed like that what a last day pairing it would be. Westwood was five under for his last four holes.

McIlroy could not birdie the long sixth after driving into more rough – he missed a nine-foot chance – and only parred the 143-yard seventh, where the tee was well up and the pin in a very accessible place.