Rory McIlroy put himself into a great position after the first two days of the US Open to prepare for moving day knowing he was only two shots behind overnight leader Ludvig Aberg at Pinehurst No.2.
His customary monster drives from the tee have helped him achieve that, setting him up for the shots of great precision needed to achieve the pin-high outcomes that have generally helped him manage the treacherous greens.
However, if the site of the four-time Major winner regularly bombing it 300+ yards off the tee was hardly unexpected, he probably didn’t anticipate being outdriven by a little-known amateur at the 2024 tournament.
That’s exactly what Luke Clanton achieved over the first two rounds, though. The Florida State amateur stood third on the list of average driving distances on Friday evening, with an average of 331.3 yards over his first two rounds. Meanwhile, McIlroy was directly beneath him with an average driving distance of over three yards shorter at 328.1 yards.
Only Cameron Young and Bryson DeChambeau were above Clanton on the list, with DeChambeau predictably leading the way on 334.7 yards. Incredibly, Clanton even out drove DeChambeu in the first round, with 336.7 yards to the LIV golfer’s 336.1 yards.
Of course, a challenge like Pinehurst No.2 in a US Open was never going to be all about driving distances, with players needing to bring every aspect of their games together to excel, and that was in evidence on Friday, particularly from McIlroy, who at one point de-greened a putt before chipping in for a miracle par in what must have felt as good as a birdie in a tight contest.
It’s not been going badly for Clanton either, though. While his astonishing driving distances have obviously helped his cause, his rounds of 76 and 69 mean he made the cut on the number as some of the biggest names in the game missed out, including 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods and former World No.1 Justin Thomas.
In fact, Clanton, who reached the tournament through final qualifying, is one of only three amateurs heading into the weekend, along with Masters low amateur Neal Shipley and Gunnar Broin.
Clanton begins his third round 10 off the lead and eight behind McIlroy, so it may be asking a lot for him to challenge towards the top of the leaderboard come Sunday evening, but with a weapon as potent as his monster driving ability in his armory, there’s no reason to think that he won’t continue to impress as the tournament draws on.
