McIlroy Clings to U.S. Open Hopes With Early Saturday Start
If you’ve been following Rory McIlroy’s journey at the 2025 U.S. Open, you know it’s not been a smooth ride. By the time Friday’s second round wrapped up at Oakmont, McIlroy sat at 6 over par—just enough to squeak past the dreaded cut. For a four-time major winner, that’s a sign of just how brutal conditions have been at this year’s championship.
McIlroy’s early tee time—10:24 a.m. ET—on Saturday tells the story. Players with later slots are the ones closest to the lead, and for Rory, this isn’t the crowd he’s used to. He’ll head out for Round 3 shoulder to shoulder with Xander Schauffele, another marquee name who’s faced his share of battles on the big stage. But the Northern Irishman knows it’ll take something spectacular to claw his way back into contention.
Oakmont hasn’t gone easy on the field. Only three players remain under par after the cut—Sam Burns leads at 3 under, right on his heels is J.J. Spaun at 2 under, and Viktor Hovland sitting at 1 under. Adam Scott sits at even par and will start his round just ahead of the leaders. The narrow gap at the top and the handful of red numbers underline how punishing the setup has been.
Chasing Leaders in a Tough Field
Let’s be real, the fight isn’t just with the scoreboard—it’s with Oakmont itself. Players have been chewed up by tightly mown fairways and greens that almost seem impossible to hold. Even major champions like Brooks Koepka, who enters Saturday at 2 over, and Scottie Scheffler at 4 over, have watched their rounds unravel at times. Koepka’s afternoon tee time with Si Woo Kim, set for 2:51 p.m., could signal a move if conditions soften up or the pressure builds for those yet to tee off.
Rory’s not alone in his struggles; big names across the board are carrying bruises into the weekend. Jon Rahm, another former major winner, trails just behind McIlroy at 4 over. Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, is right there with him. Mockups of this leaderboard months ago wouldn’t have predicted so many top contenders weighed down by bogeys and missed opportunities.
Still, golf fans know anything can happen on a U.S. Open weekend—especially on a course as demanding as Oakmont. A blistering Saturday round from someone like McIlroy could rewrite the narrative, especially if the leaders stumble. But with just three players breaking par so far, the US Open is living up to its reputation as a survival test more than a shootout this year.
No one’s handing out trophies before Sunday, but McIlroy and the rest of the morning wave will need more than just grit—they’ll need a few breaks and a lot of precision to catch up. The drama is just heating up, and all eyes will be on those early scoreboards to see who’s mounting a charge and who’s fading as the pressure mounts.
