The saying goes that it's not making a mistake that defines you, it's how you recover from it. Well, in that case, Rory McIlroy is an absolute genius.
Heading into Friday, the World No.3 held a share of the overnight lead at the 2024 US Open after a magnificent bogey-free round of 65 at Pinehurst No.2 the previous day.
But a rough start threatened to kick McIlroy backwards hard. Two bogeys in his first seven holes dropped the 2011 US Open champion back to three-under for the tournament hours before Patrick Cantlay had even blasted his drive down the first on Friday.
And the situation almost became a little worse for the Northern Irishman, despite giving himself a long-range birdie chance from across the majority of the par-3 17th green.
Faced with an awkward putt to a pin that was very close to a nasty slope, McIlroy was a little too adventurous with his first stroke and watched his golf ball trickle off the shortest grass before settling some 15 to 20 yards away off the gradual false front.
Watch Rory McIlroy’s De-Green And Chip-In:
Classic one-putt by Rory. 😂 pic.twitter.com/QszrIci7DeJune 14, 2024
Then came the clever part. The four-time Major winner backed up pre-championship comments about being a much better wedge player than people perhaps give him credit for by skipping a chip into the front of the hole.
As the watching broadcast team noted, "it was a three all the way" and ensured McIlroy only putted once on a green that he was on in regulation but still came away with a par. At the turn, the 35-year-old remained two-over for the day and three-under for the championship.
