Rory McIlroy slips down US Open leaderboard after struggling on back nine

A chaotic back nine from Rory McIlroy in the worst of the conditions at Shinnecock Hills saw him fall out of touch with US Open second-round leader Wyndham Clark.

Just when it looked like the Masters champion was going to be the American’s main challenger, the wheels rapidly came off.

Missing a six-foot birdie putt which would have seen him make the turn three behind the 2023 champion was not the worst crime the world number two made.

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But in the strengthening wind he struggled with distance control, going over the back of the green at the 10th, 11th and 12th and making bogey from each.

He appeared to have recovered with back-to-back birdies: almost holing his approach from 108 yards at the 13th for a tap-in and then having the hole to thank for swallowing up a fiery 40-footer to get back to two under.

Having gone long again at the 15th, his chip back failed to bite and rolled into a bunker, from where he made the first double bogey of the tournament from his group, playing alongside Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg.

That dropped him back to level par, seven behind Clark but – taking into the account the difficulty of Shinnecock – by no means out of it in joint 11th.

His front nine was calm by comparison, with seven pars and two birdies at the fifth and eighth to turn in 33, but coming home in 38 for a one-over 71 was not in his plans.

“If there’s a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you’re seven back going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” said McIlroy.

“I know that everyone else in the field is going to make bogeys so if I can limit my mistakes and pick off a few birdies here and there,