A poor second nine left Rory McIlroy with a 4-over 74 in the first round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont. He played his final six holes in 5 over. This U.S.

All three were between seven and eight shots behind the leader, and all were in danger of being cut Friday. The U.S. Open remains golf’s cruelest test.

The sky at Oakmont Country Club was somehow both hazy and bright, and the contradiction was a nice accidental framework for what we saw from Rory McIlroy in his opening round of the U.S. Open on Thursday.