Rory McIlroy throws club and smashes tee marker amid US Open struggles

McIlroy birdied the last hole at Oakmont to reach the weekend but is nine strokes behind leader Sam Burns

An angry Rory McIlroy threw his club down the fairway and smashed a tee marker as frustrations boiled over on day two at the US Open.

Despite a furious battle with the brutal Oakmont course in Pittsburgh, McIlroy managed to make the cut after making a birdie on the last hole of his second round.

After a four-over-par 74 on Thursday, McIlroy had hopes of fighting back into contention in the second round, but he again struggled to tame the course, posting two double bogeys in the opening three holes.

Such was his frustration, he launched his club in anger at the 12th hole after sending another shot into the unforgiving rough before smashing a tee marker on the 17th when finding the bunker.

He produced some magic on the 18th with a stunning approach shot to five feet and converted for a birdie to reach six-under-par which keeps him around for the weekend.

Whether he will be pleased about that or not is another story entirely and he will not be challenging for the title come Sunday night.

McIlroy said before the tournament that he needed to shake off the hangover of his epic Masters win at Augusta National in April, but he could not have chosen a harder place to do that. The course has been chewing up and spitting out the best players in the world and McIlroy is one of them.

His late birdie did not quell the frustration enough for him to speak to the media as he skipped post-round duties for the sixth successive round at a major.

American Ryder Cup player Sam Burns tops the leaderboard, making a mockery of everyone else’s struggles with a head-scratching five-under-par 65.