The China Mail - Burns tees off with US Open lead as McIlroy finds more misery

Burns, a 28-year-old American whose most recent win came at the 2023 WGC Match Play, was on three-under par 137 for 36 holes, a stroke ahead of last-pair US playing partner J.J. Spaun.

Norway's Viktor Hovland was two back and the only other player under par as the leaders began their trek over the iconic and intimidating layout in quest of a $4.3 million top prize.

An inch of rain drenched Oakmont overnight with more on Saturday, leaving the course receptive for 67 players making the cut on seven-over 147.

Big names still struggled while others made charges.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy made bogeys on three of his last five holes to fire a four-over par 74 and stand on 10-over, 13 strokes adrift.

"I was hoping to play better, but I didn't," McIlroy said, calling his tournament "pretty average" so far.

"The name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there," McIlroy said. "But it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly."

McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters for his fifth major title, missed a seven-foot putt to bogey the third hole and took a penalty drop leading to a bogey at nine.

He dropped his approach inside four feet to set up a birdie at the 10th but found a greenside bunker at 11 and made bogey then lipped out from inside four feet to bogey 14 and missed the green at the par-three 16th on the way to bogey.

McIlroy found a greenside bunker off the 17th tee but blasted out inches from the hole and tapped in for birdie, only to find the right rough off the 18th tee on the way to bogey.

Asked what he looked for on Sunday, McIlroy said, "Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here."

- Scheffler struggling -

Third-ranked American Xander Schauffele, the reigning British Open champion, fired a 71 to stand on seven-over 217.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, seeking back-to-back major titles after taking last month's PGA Championship, had two birdies and three bogeys in his first eight holes to fall to five-over.

Scheffler opened with a three-putt bogey, dropped in a 13-foot birdie putt on the right side of the hole at two, curved in a 19-foot birdie putt at the par-three sixth but made a three-putt bogey at the par-three eighth and a bogey at nine after a penalty drop.

Two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain sank a birdie putt from just inside 14 feet at the second, made bogey at three after finding a fairway bunker, then sank a 23-foot birdie putt at the par-three eighth to stand on three-over.

There were bright spots, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre among them. The reigning Scottish Open champion birdied the second on a 12-foot putt and the sixth from 19 feet to stand two-over after 13 holes.

Third-generation American golf pro Sam Stevens, whose grandfather made 30 PGA Tour starts in the 1960s, was on one-over after he sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the third hole and holed out from just inside 16 feet at the par-five fourth.

Mexico's Carlos Ortiz was also on one-over after birdies at the fourth and sixth from just inside eight and six feet respectively.

Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen reeled off four consecutive birdies to stand one-over after seven holes.

E.Lau--ThChM