Rory McIlroy Breaks Tiger Woods’ U.S. Open Records For Scoring

Rory McIlroy’s runaway 2011 U.S. Open victory is the culmination of a masterful week of golf. It also puts him in parts of record books that only Tiger Woods had previously seen.

McIlroy shattered a number of U.S Open scoring records for both score in relation to par and aggregate score on the way to his 16-under 268, and he threatened a number of all-time major championship records, too.

Lowest score in relation to par in a U.S. Open, 72 holes: 16-under, Rory McIlroy, 2011 U.S. Open. Tops the 12-under mark set by Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open; McIlroy was never lower than 13-under at any point in his final round.

Lowest aggregate score in a U.S. Open, 72 holes: 268, Rory McIlroy, 2011 U.S. Open. Previously: 272, held by Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen, and Jim Furyk.

Lowest score in relation to par in a major championship, 72 holes: 19-under, Tiger Woods, 2000 British Open. McIlroy never got closer than 17-under late on his back nine; only Woods and Bob May have ever been 18-under or below after 18 holes of a major championship.

Lowest aggregate score in a major championship, 72 holes: 265, David Toms, 2001 PGA Championship. McIlroy’s even-par back nine (two birdies, two bogeys) gave him a 268 for the week.

Largest margin of victory in a major championship: 15 strokes, Tiger Woods, 2000 U.S. Open. McIlroy never led by more than 10 strokes, and his eight-stroke margin of victory is fourth in U.S. Open history.

Fewest bogeys in a major: Three, multiple times, most recently by Tiger Woods in the 2006 PGA Championship. McIlroy made two bogeys on the back nine of his final round to lose his shot at setting this record.

McIlroy also set 36-hole and 54-hole scoring records for U.S. Open play, and set or tied 12 U.S. Open records in total. But maybe the most impressive things about McIlroy’s victory are ones that aren’t technically records.

McIlroy, who was laser-accurate with irons all week, may have been even better with the putter, three-putting just once (on the 17th hole in his final round) in a U.S. Open. That’s virtually unheard of.

And McIlroy is the only golfer to ever be lower than 12-under in a U.S. Open, even though he had to get there on multiple occasions. He got there in the second round, then immediately double bogeyed to fall back out of that rarefied air, and did the same thing midway through his third round.

Then Rory McIlroy made a birdie to move lower than 12-under for good. And he stayed there for the final 26 holes of the Open, becoming the only golfer to ever reach 13-under, 14-under, 15-under, 16-under, or 17-under in a U.S. Open. Of all the staggering facts, figures, and statistics McIlroy compiled in his magical week, that one may be the best.

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