For the second straight Major, Rory McIlroy has set the early pace. After leading for the first three rounds at the Masters, McIlroy has one-upped himself with a fantastic opening round at the 2011 U.S. Open live from Congressional Country Club. McIlroy fired a six-under 65 on one of the world's toughest golf courses and is the runaway leader by three shots after Round 1.
McIlroy had six birdies and no bogeys on the day. He hit a sparkling 17 of his 18 greens in regulation and only missed the fairway five times. He got things going at the turn, getting birdies on 17 and 18, then following it up with a birdie on the first hole. He also had birdies on No. 4 and No. 6 before finishing up with three straight par puts.
McIlroy's partner, Phil Mickelson, visibly struggled, hitting the ball in the water, double-bogeying his first hole and finding himself in deep rough often. He ended up with a three-over par 74, and even that was a pretty big accomplishment. He is nine shots off the lead.
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