2011 U.S. Open Leaderboard Update: Rory McIlroy’s Front Nine Moves Him Back To Record Territory

After his front nine on Saturday at the 2011 U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy is once more in rarefied air that only he has ever reached.

With a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole, McIlroy moved to 13-under for the 2011 U.S. Open, again reaching the lowest score in relation to par in the history of golf’s most grueling major. He went out in 2-under 34 on the front nine, scoring birdies on the fifth and ninth holes, to tack two more strokes under par onto his scintillating 11-under start over the first 36 holes.

McIlroy’s lead has looked imposing since he became the quickest ever to double-digit red numbers in a U.S. Open after his 26th hole of the tournament on Friday. But McIlroy, who collapsed late at the 2011 Masters, is showing impressive steadiness, and that might just make this lead unassailable; even McIlroy’s second over-par score for a hole this week, a bogey 4 on the par-3 10th, merely reduced his advantage on second place (shared by Jason Day and Lee Westwood at 5-under through 54 holes) to a stunning seven strokes.

Should McIlroy keep his barrage of birdies going at Congressional Golf Course, the only competitor he may concerned with on Sunday is history.

You can view the full U.S. Open leaderboard here. Follow along with this StoryStream for U.S. Open updates. And for more on the PGA Tour, check out SB Nation’s golf blog, Waggle Room.