Rory McIlroy roars to the fore again with smooth 65 at US Open

Not since Scot Tommy Armour was five in front in 1933 has someone taken a bigger lead into the second round of the event than the 22-year-old did today.

His bogey-free six under par 65 put him three clear of Korean YE Yang and Charl Schwartzel, the South African who took The Masters title in April after McIlroy went from four ahead to 10 behind with a nightmare 80.

That traumatic experience was only 68 days ago, but the young Northern Irishman insists he is not haunted by it - or even seeking to avenge it.

"I don't know if it says that I've just got a very short memory," he joked after out-scoring playing partner Phil Mickelson by nine on the American's 41st birthday.

"I learned a lot from it, but going into the US Open you can't be thinking about what's happened before.

"You've got to just be thinking about this week and how best you can prepare and how you can get yourself around the golf course. You definitely have to analyse the parts that you want to do better, but I really stopped thinking about it a week after.

"What I took mostly from the Sunday was being so tentative and trying to keep ahead of the field instead of playing a free-flowing game like I usually do."

Not that he is expecting to continue making hay like he did yesterday.

Asked if he would take three level par 71s from now on he replied: "Yeah, definitely.

"This golf course is only going to get firmer and it's going to get harder. I still think something around two, three, four under is going to have a good chance - even something around level par is probably going to come very close on Sunday.

"It's a US Open - they know how to make the golf course a lot more difficult than it was today.

"It's not going to be that easy every day. I know that and I think everyone else knows that.

"But it is nice when all parts of your game are on song and you can put together a low round.

"It was tricky out there, but I just managed to keep the ball in the fairway and find a lot of greens (all but the 14th, where he saved par from 15 feet)."

A 65 was also what he started with at Augusta two months ago, while at St Andrews in last year's Open his major record-equalling 63 came in the opening round too.

That was followed by an 80 in howling winds and McIlroy, who was due to tee off again at 7.55am today, knows the biggest challenge is still ahead of him.

He is encouraged, though, by words of advice from Jack Nicklaus just two weeks ago in Ohio.

"He's all about the majors. I did the clinic at the Memorial and that was the first time I'd seen him after Augusta," added McIlroy.

"He said to me 'I'm expecting big things from you'. It's a nice pressure to have knowing that the greatest player ever thinks that you're going to do pretty good.

"He emphasised so much to me about not making mistakes. That was his big thing.

"He said people lost a lot more majors and gave them to him than he actually won. It was a good piece of advice to have."

The first job for the world's top three today was to ensure they survived the halfway cut.

Number one Luke Donald and number three Martin Kaymer were down in joint 62nd after 74s and Westwood was in a tie for 84th one stroke further back.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell was much happier after a 70. It left him joint 10th with, among others, England's Robert Rock. He arrived at his hotel at 3.30am yesterday after visa problems in London.

Lothians golfer Stephen Gallacher finished on 2-over par after shooting a 73, an effort that mirrored the fortunes of American-based Scot Martin Laird.