2011 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy Sets Another Record, Enters Clubhouse At 14-Under

Rory McIlroy has just tapped into the 18th hole for par, and in doing so, set a U.S. Open record. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland has shot a total of 199 through the first 54 holes, the best in tournament history.

McIlroy’s 3-under on Saturday was more than enough to wrest the record from Jim Furyk, and more importantly, head into the final round of the Open with a 14-under score. He’s still playing in the shadow of his disastrous Masters performance in April in which he carried a lead into the final round only to plummet into a tie for 15th.

As Rory McIlroy’s third round gets underway on Saturday, his competition, however distant, is showing signs of life. Most notably, Fredrik Jacobson is playing masterful golf to jump 23 spots up the U.S. Open leaderboard.

Jacobson began the tournament with a 3-over first round, then rallied with a 2-under on Friday. In Round 3, he’s 6-under through 11 holes, and has caught fire by hitting birdies on five of his last six. He now sits in sole possession of second place for the tournament, six strokes behind McIlroy (-11). Jacobson, age 36, has three European Tour wins to his name, but has never won a PGA Tour event.

Just after noon ET Saturday, the players near the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard are hours away from their tee times. No one currently on the course is within 10 strokes of tournament leader Rory McIlroy, but Webb Simpson has put together a terrific front nine to vault into the top 15.

Entering Saturday’s play, Simpson wasn’t in a terribly impressive position; after a 4-over first round, he shot even in Round 2. Through his first nine holes on Saturday, though, he’s 4-under to bring him back to par for the tournament.

The US Open will get started a few minutes late on Saturday as the final groups left-over from Friday finish their second rounds. A weather delay forced groups from the course on Friday and play was suspended for darkness with just a few groups still on the course. Before the third round begins, and before the tee-times are set, play from the second round must conclude.

But we do know Rory McIlroy and Y.E. Yang will be in the final group as the last golfers on the course. McIlroy is at 11-under for the tournament, six shots clear of the field. Yang is in second all by his lonesome at 5-under for the tournament. The gap between Yang and the group in third is three shots -- five players are at 2-under for the tournament.