Rory McIlroy at US Open Golf 2013: Day 3 Recap and Twitter Reaction

Following a solid even-par 70 in the second round to move to withing four shots of the U.S. Open lead, Rory McIlroy took a mighty stumble on Saturday at the mighty Merion Golf Club. 

McIlroy finished with a 75 on Saturday to sit well off the lead with the leaders still on the course. 

McIlroy struggled with accuracy in his ball striking at times and could not sink the putts he needed to. Now, he will simply try to rebound for a nice close to this tournament as his chances at claiming a second U.S. Open title are a thing of history. 

That's what happens when you fill out a scorecard that looks like this: 

Rory McIlroy's Round 3 U.S. Open Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Par	4	5	3	5	4	4	4	4	3	36
Score	3	6	4	5	5	5	3	4	4	39

Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total	Final
Par	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	34	70
Score	4	5	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	36	75

*Birdies marked in bold and bogeys in italics. 

All eyes were on Rory's group as they hit the first tee. Not just because of Rory. Golf Channel's Jason Sobel explains. 

The round began with immense promise as Rory birdied the first hole. However, he promptly erased any positive momentum by jacking his tee shot on No. 2 out of bounds. 

It has been shots like that which prompted this tweet from ESPN The Magazine: 

He made a nice recovery to earn a bogey, but unfortunately Rory couldn't sustain any positives on this stingy course. He dropped one on the par-three third to sit at four-over for the tournament.

The par-five fourth hole was a good representation of Rory not just for this tournament, but for his year. He hasn't been able to put his whole game together at the same time. And on this hole, he was good tee to green, and he was in position to make a birdie. He blew the putt. 

He still earned a par, but he needed a birdie to start climbing back into contention. 

Rory's putter let him down again on the fifth and sixth. He dropped a bogey on each to sit at six-over par and seven strokes off the lead. 

The two-time major winner bounced back with a flawless seventh as he picked up a birdie to move to five-over. After a par on No. 8, he gave the stroke right back, as he bogeyed the front side's closing hole to finish the side with a three-over 39.  

At this point, Rory could essentially kiss his shot at the 2013 U.S. Open goodbye, and there was little he was prepared to do about it. 

He steadied a bit on the back, but bogeyed the par-four 11th. He then picked up three consecutive pars before dropping yet another stroke with a bogey on the par-4 15th to sit at eight-over for the tournament. 

McIlroy hit a beautiful tee shot on the par-three 17th, but he lipped out the putt to earn another par and then closed with a solid par on No. 18.  

This was a disappointing day for Rory. Just when it seems like he is ready to turn the corner on his 2013, he takes a step back like he did today. While it will be nice to see him put together a nice closing round, it means little until he proves he can hold it together for four consecutive days.