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Golf-Late four-putt leaves McIlroy reeling at U.S. Open

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Washington, June 20 (Reuters) - An ugly finish to the second round all but destroyed Rory McIlroy's chances of winning the U.S. Open. 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. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina. Editing by Steve Keating.)