Rory McIlroy digs deep to stay in touch at Memorial as he hits US Open mode a week early

The Holywood star showed he has the game to end his Major drought at Pinehurst No 2 next week when he scrambled for par on five of his last six holes at a blustery Muirfield Village.

A one-under 71 left him just three strokes behind Canada’s Adam Hadwin, who added a 72 to his opening 66 to lead by a shot in the clubhouse from Christiaan Bezuidenhout on six-under.

The South African had just 20 putts, single-putting his last 11 greens en route to a brilliant 67.

“Scrambled well, made a tonne of pars, stayed patient,” McIlroy said, adding that he now relishes the challenge of a US Open, which he won at a soft Congressional in 2011.

“This is probably more US Open-like than the US Open’s going to be next week,” McIlroy said, smiling. “I think just that mindset of being patient and making as many pars as possible, I think that’s going to be the MO for next week as well.”

Having struggled with firm conditions in the past, he now relishes them.

“Yeah, I really liked LACC last year,” he said. “After the Open in 2019, I’d had a disappointing run in the toughest tests and in the Majors, and I just tried to change my mindset.

“I remember writing in the little golf journal that I keep about trying to build my game to suit the toughest venues that we go to.”

Having missed his third cut in a row in 2018, he’s finished ninth, eighth, seventh, fifth and second in his last five US Open starts.

“If you look at my results in the US Open and some of the toughest tests from then until now I would say the US Open’s arguably been my best Major championship in the last few years.”

Séamus Power will also be encouraged for Pinehurst after he produced a back-nine rally to card a 74 that left him well in the hunt on one-under.

The West Waterford man was five-over for the day through 10 holes but birdied the 11th, 13th and 15th before getting up and down for pars at the last three holes.

Lauren Walsh (23) was also in grinding mode in the DP World Tour co-sanctioned Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed at Vasatorps Golfklubb in Sweden.

She bogeyed three of her first four holes but played the remainder in level-par and added a 75 to her opening 67 to make the weekend on the mark.

Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg followed his opening 63 with a 66 to lead by three strokes on 15-under from Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and by four from France’s Julien Guerrier.

It was a tougher day for Douglas amateur Sara Byrne, who shot a seven-over 79 in the LET Access Tour’s Montauban Ladies Open in France where Australia’s Kelsey Bennett fired a brilliant 63 to head the field by four shots.

At the Challenge de Cadiz, Ruaidhri McGee shot 70 and Gary Hurley a 71 to go into the weekend tied for third, just one stroke behind Sweden’s Niklas Lemke and Germany’s Marc Hammer on six-under.

Conor Purcell’s 69 left him tied 29th on three-under with Jonathan Caldwell a shot further back after a brace of 71s.

At the St Andrews Links Trophy, Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy opened with a two-under 69 on the New Course to share second place, three shots behind Coxmoor’s Seb Cave, with clubmate Hugh Foley tied for sixth after a 70.

Meanwhile, the R&A has announced County Louth will host the Boys’ Amateur Championship in August next year.

Scandinavian Mixed, noon Memorial Tournament, 4.30pm (Both live on Sky Sports)