Rory McIlroy began to mount a significant challenge on the front nine of the US Open, carding crucial birdies as he sought to close the gap on second-round leader Wyndham Clark.
McIlroy's first birdie came at the par-five fifth, two-putting from 34 feet to reach two under. He then holed a 15-footer at the eighth to move to three under, but a promising approach on the ninth, leaving him inside six feet, resulted in a missed putt.
