Plenty of positives for Irish challengers after US Open final round

Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson are dominating the headlines, but there were plenty of reasons for leading Irish contenders Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry to be satisfied with their Sunday efforts

World number one McIlroy had left himself far too much to do at eight shots back, but a determined charge around the turn, highlighted by this monster putt on 13, saw him creep into the top five at two under par, just three shots off the lead and six under for his round. A strong finish would have seen McIlroy post a daunting target for the leaders, still more than two hours from finishing their own rounds, and a superb approach shot on 14 looked set to keep his surge going. But the putt slid by the hole and with it went McIlroy's hopes. He bogeyed the 15th for the third time in the tournament and his conservative play on the par-four 16th, laying up instead of going for broke and attempting to drive the green (as Adam Scott did a few minutes later), failed to yield what by then was a must-have birdie. Another dropped shot on 17 saw him finish on even par for the tournament, with the final four holes at Chambers Bay again proving McIlroy's downfall. Over the course of the week he played the remainder of the course in seven under but lost all those shots down the stretch, playing 15-18 over par in each of his four rounds. He did bank yet another top ten at a major, and while that isn't exactly what McIlroy was hoping for this week, there are plenty of positive signs to take to St Andrews for the Open Championship next month. https://twitter.com/JustinRayGC/status/612813915211235330 That course, and in particular the greens, will be much more to Rory's liking, and with his ball-striking in fine shape, his prospects at the Old Course will once again come down to his putting stroke. While McIlroy at least set off some fireworks yesterday, Shane Lowry will probably be a little disappointed not to have gotten any closer than the three-shot deficit he began the day with. Two bogeys in his first five holes saw him fall back, but he kept plugging away despite some frustrations with his putter, getting back to even par before a six at the last saw him end with a 71 to finish one over par for the week and alongside McIlroy in a tie for ninth place. https://twitter.com/ShaneLowryGolf/status/612846105794097152 This iron shot on six was among the best of the day and if he can maintain that level of approach play his scrambling ability will make him a contender again at the Open. In addition gaining valuable experience of the cauldron of the Back Nine on a Sunday (TM), Lowry also returned to the world's top 50 and gained PGA Tour membership for the remainder of the season, giving him a place at some the summer's top tournaments, including a shot at the FedExCup play-offs in September. https://twitter.com/MidlandsSport/status/612876393999953920