It seems all but decided that Rory McIlroy will win the 2011 U.S. Open. But might he also rewrite some of golf’s record books? Here’s a look at several of the records McIlroy might be able to equal or break on the back nine at Congressional Golf Club after his 2-under front nine pushed him to 16-under for the tournament.
2011 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy Chasing Records In Final Round
Lowest score in relation to par in a major championship, 72 holes: 19-under, Tiger Woods, 2000 British Open. McIlroy was 16-under as he made the turn at the U.S. Open, and moved to 17-under with a birdie on the 10th.
Lowest score in relation to par in a U.S. Open, 72 holes: 12-under, Tiger Woods, 2000 U.S. Open. McIlroy could be 3-over on the back nine and still top Woods’ mark.
Lowest aggregate score in a major championship, 72 holes: 265, David Toms, 2001 PGA Championship. McIlroy would finish at 268 with an even-par back nine, and needs a 4-under back nine to take this and a slew of other records at 20-under 264.
Lowest aggregate score in a U.S. Open, 72 holes: 272, held by Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen, and Jim Furyk. Again, 3-over on the back nine still gets McIlroy the record.
Largest margin of victory in a major championship: 15 strokes, Tiger Woods, 2000 U.S. Open. McIlroy probably won’t own this record; he’s had nine- and 10-shot leads today, but would need to dip further into red numbers and have much of the pack “chasing” him fall back a bit for this to realistically happen.
Fewest bogeys in a major: Three, multiple times, most recently by Tiger Woods in the 2006 PGA Championship. McIlroy has two, but one came on the 10th in his third round and another, a double bogey, happened on the 18th hole of his second round. And McIlroy’s already made birdie on No. 10 in his final round.
So if you’re cheering for history, you want Rory McIlroy to be 4-under or better with no bogeys on the back nine at Congressional Golf Club. And, with the way McIlroy’s playing, you might not have to cheer that hard.
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