- Jon Rahm, 2021 winner, pulls out with infection in his foot
- McIlroy delighted with ‘cool’ marquee threeball
Rory McIlroy’s latest chance at ending his decade-long chase of a fifth major title will launch under the brightest of spotlights after he was grouped with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele for the opening two rounds of the US Open. However Jon Rahm, the 2021 champion, has pulled out of the tournament after failing to recover from a foot infection.
The Northern Irishman is part of a marquee group featuring the world’s top three players at Pinehurst No 2 in the sand hills of North Carolina. Scheffler, the world No 1, won his second Masters title in three years at Augusta in April and secured his fifth victory of the season in the Memorial on Sunday, while the second-ranked Schauffele collected a career-first major at the US PGA last month.