Rory's Records

Rory McIlroy's win at the 2011 U.S. Open will go down as one of the best major-championship performances ever. "Record-setting" is the appropriate word. "Dominating" is another good adjective for McIlroy's play at Congressional Country Club.

Some of the tournament records Rory set include:

• His 131 total after two rounds is the lowest score ever in a U.S. Open over the opening 36 holes. (Previous record: 132, Ricky Barnes, 2009)
  
  
• His 131 total over the opening 36 is also the best score ever in back-to-back U.S. Open rounds. (Previous record: 132, Barnes in 2009 and Larry Nelson in 1983)
  
  
• His 6-stroke lead after 36 holes tied the largest lead after two rounds (previously accomplished by Tiger Woods in 2000).
  
  
• His 199 total over the first three rounds is the lowest score ever in a U.S. Open over the first 54 holes. (Previous record: 200, Jim Furyk, 2003)
  
  
• McIlroy is just the sixth player in U.S. Open history to lead wire-to-wire without ties; that is, to hold the solo lead after each round. (Tiger Woods has done it twice, so McIlroy's effort is the seventh time it's happened.)

Most impressive, however, is how McIlroy obliterated the tournament's 72-hole scoring records. The previous best finishing stroke total was 272, a score posted first by Jack Nicklaus in 1980, then by Lee Janzen (1993), Tiger Woods (2000) and Jim Furyk (2003).

McIlroy lowered that record by four strokes, posting 268.

And the previous record for most strokes under par was Tiger's 12-under in 2000. McIlroy finished 16-under par. He also had it to 17-under in the final round, so that's the lowest anyone has gone at any point in a U.S. Open.