Nightmare Open rounds drop Tiger, McIlroy well back

Tiger Woods of the United States reacts on the 18th green during Round Three of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on June 15, 2013 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

World number one Tiger Woods and second-ranked Rory McIlroy played together for the third round in a row on Saturday at the US Open, but it was most assuredly not third time charmed.

Both golf stars stumbled out of contention entering Sunday’s final round at punishing Merion Golf Club, with Woods 10 strokes off the pace of 54-hole leader Phil Mickelson and McIlroy nine shots adrift.

“It’s certainly frustrating,” Woods said. “I was feeling like I was playing well this week. I just didn’t make the putts I needed to make. I’m playing well enough to do it and unfortunately just haven’t gotten it done.”

Woods, a 14-time major champion who has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open, struggled to a six-over par 76 to stand on nine-over 219 after 54 holes — 10 strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson in a share of 31st place.

McIlroy, the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship winner, fired a 75 to stand on 218, a share of 25th, but the Northern Ireland prodigy realized his title hopes were gone.

“It would take something unbelievable and the scores aren’t that low out there,” McIlroy said. “I guess, if I play well, try and get in the top 10, that would be realistic.”

“You get on the wrong side of the greens and it’s just frightening because I didn’t feel like I played too badly.

“I was trying to get myself back into it, but it’s tough. If you’re just not 100 percent on top of your game, it’s going to expose some of your flaws or weaknesses.”

Both Woods and McIlroy opened with 12-foot birdie putts then followed with seven bogeys each the rest of the way. McIlroy added a birdie at the seventh to finish ahead of Woods but neither looked anywhere near major-winning form.

“We both struggled today,” Woods said. “We both didn’t get ourselves back in the tournament. We did what we needed to do at the first hole and got off to a nice start. He made a mistake at the second and I made a few mistakes on the front nine myself.”

Woods, nagged by a left arm injury, was short of the green in deep rough at the par-3 third and made bogey. He found a fairway divot and left a putt short to bogey the fifth and his approach at six rolled back down a slope to him to set up another bogey.

Woods opened and closed the back nine with bogeys and botched a two-foot par putt at the 16th.

“At least I started well,” Woods said of the lone birdie putt he made on Merion’s malevolent greens.

“Basically I just didn’t have the speed right this week and it certainly showed,” Woods said. “I didn’t make anything today. I just couldn’t get a feel for them.”

McIlroy sandwiched four bogeys in five holes between his birdies then made more at nine, 11 and 15 to seal his fate.

“I just went into a bad stretch there,” he said. “I thought that maybe I would have a few chances and I just wasn’t able to take advantage of those.”

McIlroy, who struggled early this season after changing equipment, said his game is coming around despite his horror-show round.

“I don’t feel like it’s too far away at all,” he said. “It’s just a matter of believing and staying patient and working hard and knowing that you work on the right thing, you’re going to turn it around.”

That self-belief, however, has been hard to come by, as has the swing motion he desires.

“I think it’s confidence and fluidity. I don’t have any other way to explain it,” McIlroy said.