Merion
Frustrated McIlroy buckles club under US Open pressure
Rory McIlroy bends his nine-iron en route to a quadruple bogey eight at the 11th. Rory McIlroy’s ‘annus horribilis’ got a little more horrible last night when he admitted that the US Open got the better of him as he threw a club and buckled another in a fit of anger and frustration en route to a closing 76 at murderous Merion.
Wide Open at Merion?
Tiger Woods plays from a bunker on the 17th hole during a practice round at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (Copyright USGA/Joel Kowsky) So what’s it going to be? A thoroughbred major winner with killer course management and length to spare? A major virgin with a hot putter and an even hotter wedge? How about a straight-hitting gut-player with a laser-like long game and a brain?Harrington fears Merion: "They’ll have to go easy on us"
Pádraig Harrington rakes a bunker at Merion. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ieExperience is everything in a US Open, which is why Pádraig Harrington is a sneaky outside bet to consign his five-year major drought to history and become the third Irish winner in four years.Rory "Rocky" McIlroy can be a contender in Philly
Rory McIlroy likes the soft conditions at Merion. Picture Stuart Adams www.golftourimages.comRory McIlroy isn’t a ham-fisted heavyweight looking to knock seven bells out of Merion with an adrenaline-fuelled attack. But in the city that gave us the great cinematographic hero Rocky Balboa, the fighter in him admitted that his eyes lit up a bit as the rain lashed Philadelphia for three days and took the sting out of the beast in the red corner.
Amateur Phelan qualifies for US Open - again
Kevn Phelan, pictured with caddie Stephen Byrne, during last yer’s European Amateur at Carton House.Picture by Pat Cashman. Waterford Castle’s Kevin Phelan sensationally qualified for the US Open for the second time since 2010 when he topped his sectional qualifier in Florida.Kearney in from the start
Royal Dublin's Niall Kearney will make his Walker Cup debut when he teams up with England's Eamonn "Stiggy" Hodgson in the anchor foursomes match at Merion on Saturday (1300 Irish time) against Cameron Tringale and Adam Mitchell.
The Walker CupThe 21 year old Dubliner is the sole Irishman in a ten-man Great Britain & Ireland squad, made up entirely of rookies, bidding to win the trophy on US soil for the first time since 2001.
GB&I skipper Colin Dalgleish has shown great faith in Kearney by also including him in his eight-strong singles line up on day one. The Dubliner will go out at No 7 in the order, taking on 19 year old Floridian Bud Cauley.