Rory McIlroy admits he would have been happy to miss the cut after suffering more Oakmont punishment at the US Open.
The Northern Irishman scrambled two birdies in the final four holes during Friday’s second round to book his weekend stay but revealed he would have not have minded going home.
That feeling was even more prevalent after another bruising round on ‘moving day’, where the only direction he was heading was down.
Rory McIlroy has had a challenging US Open (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Trouble was never far away as he made six bogeys in a round of 74 and when his par-putt kissed the lips of the hole from three and a half feet and went out on the 14th, he was seen quietly mouthing an expletive, presumably telling the Oakmont course exactly where to go.
He sits near the foot of the leaderboard at 10 over par and is counting down the hours until he can go home.
Asked what his expectations were for Sunday’s final round, he said: “Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here.
“It’s funny, it’s much easier being on the cut line when you don’t really care if you’re here for the weekend or not.
“I was sort of thinking, ‘Do I really want two more days here or not’? So it makes it easier to play better when you’re in that mindset.
“I actually feel like I’ve played OK this week. It’s a golf course where the tiniest mistakes get penalised a lot and that’s sort of how it’s felt this week.
It’s one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quicklyRory McIlroy
“The name of the game this week is staying patient and try to do a good job of it out there, but it’s one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly.”
McIlroy spoke having skipped media duties after the last six rounds of major tournaments, putting it down to frustration at the reporting of his driver failing a ‘non-conforming’ test during the PGA Championship last month.
With media duties voluntary and not a requirement he insists he has earned the right to choose when he speaks.
“It’s more a frustration with you guys,” he said. “I’ve been totally available for the last few years.
I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to doRory McIlroy
“(The driver) thing was a part of it. But at Augusta I skipped you guys on Thursday, so it’s not out of the ordinary. I’ve done it before; I’m just doing it a little more often.
“I feel like I’ve earned the right to do whatever I want to do.
“I’m not daring them (the PGA Tour) to do anything. I hope they don’t change it because it’s a nice luxury to have.
“But I’m just pointing out the fact that we have the ability to do it.”