US Open / Steven Rawlings / 18 June 2011 / 1

Record breaking Rory sprints clear. It's all over already surely?

When Rory McIlroy teed up on the final hole yesterday, he held a stunning ten-shot lead, had been matched at just [1.33] and I was happy to be swept along in the tide of euphoria that surrounded his remarkable performance. This morning the hard-nose sceptical punter has returned and so have my doubts about the wonder boy.

Before his double-bogey on the last hole, he became the first man to reach 13 under par at a US Open and despite that blip; he still set the 36-hole US Open record with 131 strokes. Only Tiger Woods, in 2000, has led by as many as six shots (Rory's margin over Y E Yang) and I heard one well respected golf commentator, Jay Townsend, describe yesterday's round as the finest ever!

I think it's about time someone dolloped a healthy portion of realism over the feast of eulogies.

A few hours after Rory signed for his earth shattering round the mighty Marcel Siem matched it! Yes he beat the 36-hole record but only by one. Two years ago Ricky Barnes, also playing in rain-soften conditions shot 67 - 65 at Bethpage Black - an absolute brute of a course.

I'm not belittling Rory's performance but just trying to put it into perspective, it's been majestic, it's impressive but I'm not sure it's quite as magnificent as some are making out and he still has a long way to go before he breasts the tape.

Whether Rory's reinvented the wheel or not doesn't matter to us punters now. What matters now is - is he worth backing at such a short price? And I have to conclude that he isn't. The only time he's looked generously priced to me was when he made the turn yesterday and was trading at odds against. I felt he was a [1.7] chance at best then but short prices aren't my bag so unfortunately I let him go.

With a six-shot lead over Y E Yang and a nine-shot buffer over everyone else, surely [1.4] is just buying money? If he pars his way in from here it's almost impossible to see him getting beat. And given his play over the first two days, surely two level par rounds is just about the worst he can do? If only it were that simple.

Before taking the 'free money' offer we have to remember that he led by six with six to play in Dubai and only just held on when he won his maiden title. Then there was the Open Championship collapse when he shot 80 on day two. And then of course there's that horrific Masters debacle.

Everything about his demeanour suggests he's ready to put all that behind him and power home to victory but we'll just have to see. Given I've backed Yang at [80.0], and that I've also got Zach Johnson onside, I'm hoping he collapses again. Sorry.

The Punter's Pre-event US Open picks

Phil Mickelson @ [18.0]
KJ Choi @ [36.0]
Bubba Watson @ [55.0]
Ernie Els @ [110.0]
Jonathan Byrd @ [160.0]
Mark Wilson @ [180.0]
Peter Hanson @ [190.0]
Ben Crane @ [240.0]
Davis Love III @ [350.0]
Chad Campbell @ [410.0]

In-running plays

Louis Oosthuizen @ [38.0] - Day one
Y E Yang @ [80.0] - Day one
Zach Johnson @ [100.0] - Day one

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1. Anonymous | 18 June 2011

   The only realism is McIlroy is in exhabtion mode and your downing sour grapes. Give the boy some credit and stop doubting him your becoming boring. You selected 15 players and you've lost so give McIlroy some credit please

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