Rory McIlroy left reeling after taking FOUR putts on a green

The world number one had missed the cut in his previous two events, so the good news at Chambers Bay on Friday was that he did not extend his streak to three consecutive early exits.

But the bad news was that a four-putt double-bogey at the 17th, along with a bogey at the last, left the Northern Irishman a distant nine strokes from the lead.

It was nothing short of disastrous for McIlroy, because he played some fine golf mid-round and after an eagle at the short par-four 12th seemed set to finish the day within striking distance going into the weekend.

But he hit his tee shot at the par-three 17th some 60 feet beyond the hole, and banged his first putt so hard that his ball did not stop until it had rolled some 30 feet beyond the cup.

He hit his next putt to five feet, only to compound his misery by missing the bogey putt.

Not that he was the only player to struggle late in the day on bumpy greens that Henrik Stenson likened to "putting on broccoli" and Justin Rose compared to "outdoor bingo".

A bogey at the brutally tough par-four 18th was no disgrace, but it hardly helped the cause of the four-time major winner, who might felt it was not his day when British TV on-course commentator Tim Barter trod on his ball earlier in the round.

Unlikely. Would need to post a decent number around par on Saturday morning, and hope the wind blows hard in the afternoon. Can never say never on a course that would really bare its teeth in the wind, but nine strokes adrift sounds too far back. More cruciallly, McIlroy's game does not look sharp enough to take advantage of the conditions should the chance present itself.