Tiger, Rory shoot 70s in round two

Ardmore, PA – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, the top-two ranked players in the world, both shot even-par 70s in their second rounds at the U.S. Open.

The pair finished 36 holes on the East Course at Merion Golf Club at 3-over- par 143.

Woods mixed three birdies and three bogeys in his even-par round, while McIlroy had four birdies and four bogeys.

The top-two ranked players finished the final seven holes of their first round earlier in the day. Two weather delays on Thursday led to the opening round being suspended for the night due to darkness.

Woods stumbled to a bogey at the 12th when he resumed the first round. He atoned for that mistake with a birdie at 13.

The three-time champion parred three in a row before faltering to a bogey on the long par-3 17th. He nearly chipped in for birdie at the last, but settled for a tap-in par.

Woods opened the second round on the 11th tee and he parred his opening two holes. After making birdie at the short par-3 13th, Woods tripped to a bogey at the 14th.

He made bogey at the 18th as he headed to the front side at plus-4. He got two strokes back with birdies on Nos. 2 and 4, both par-5s. After a pair of pars, he pulled his approach left of the seventh green.

He flubbed his chip shot, then got up and down for bogey to slip to plus-3. Woods parred his final three holes to end there.

"I played well. I just made a couple of mistakes out there today, but I really played well," Woods stated. "Maybe I could have gotten one or two more out of it, but it was a pretty good day."

Woods battled a sore left wrist the entire day, which he first injured at the Players Championship. He shrugged it off, saying, "It is what it is."

McIlory got off to a flying start in the second round as he birdied the 11th and 12 to move to plus-1. He faltered to a bogey at the 14th before making four pars in a row.

The 2011 champion at Congressional bogeyed the first. After a birdie on the long par-3 third, McIlroy gave that stroke right back as he bogeyed the par-5 fourth.

McIlroy again traded a birdie for a bogey at eight and nine. He parred the 10th, his last, to end alongside Woods at plus-3.

"The pins were a little tougher, for sure. They put the pins in places that even when you hit it close, you had a tough putt for your birdie or your par or whatever," said McIlroy. "And the wind is obviously up. And it's tough to gauge this wind. It swirls a little bit in these big trees and it's hard to pull a club sometimes. So that's why I think you're seeing the scores rise a little bit today. Hopefully rise a little bit more in the afternoon."