Patrick Reed hit the front on day two at Winged Foot while Rory McIlroy went backwards and Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson missed the cut
Related: Reed and DeChambeau set US Open pace while big names depart
So, two of the most-liked pros on the PGA Tour will make up Saturday’s final pairing.
And on that ironic bombshell, I’ll wrap today’s commentary up. Thanks for reading and we’ll be back tomorrow to see the next plot twist in this intriguing 120th US Open.
-4 Patrick Reed
-3 Bryson DeChambeau
-2 Rafa Cabrera Bello, Harris English, Justin Thomas
-1 Jason Kokrak
Day two at Winged Foot started with 21 players under par but it finishes with just the above half-dozen in red figures. A day when the course bit back.
Justin Thomas now the only player out there who can affect the final leaderboard. He leaks his drive at 9 way right before a solid second and chip to 15 feet leaves an uphill birdie try. But, nope, he doesn’t threaten the hole with it so that’s a 3-over 73. Not the best but not the worst and the first-round leader will enter the weekend two behind new pacesetter Patrick Reed. Both men will be chasing a second major while second-placed Bryson DeChambeau is seeking his first.
Tiger birdies 9 but 10-over won’t get him through to the last 36 holes. Well, at least it beats the 12-over he shot when missing the cut at the 2006 US Open here.
Rory McIlroy leaves himself an outside birdie chance at 18 but his big breaking 30 footer doesn’t turn enough. He taps in to bring an unforgettable day to an end. A 6-over 76 leaves him seven back. And whatever the TV folk tell you, you don’t win US Opens from there. Okay, Larry Nelson (seven back in 1983) and Tom Kite (eight back in 1992) offer outside hope but the odds are hugely against McIlroy now.
Matsuyama shows he does love the 60s really by making birdie at his final hole for a 1-under 69. That’s just the third under-par lap of Winged Foot today. It lifts the Japanese to tied seventh on even par and only four adrift.
Patrick Reed rolls in his birdie putt at 9 for an even-par 70 and the new clubhouse lead of 4-under. Well played that man. A short-game masterclass but can he keep missing fairways and greens at such a rate on the weekend?
Thomas plays a deft chip at 8 to save par and, in theory, can tie Reed with an eagle at the par-5 9th. You never know. Second-placed Bryson DeChambeau managed one there earlier.
Justin Thomas flushes his approach to 8 but it’s almost too good a connection and his ball drifts through to the rough behind the green.
Reed finds more sand with his second at the par-5 9th but he plays a corker of a bunker shot. About four feet left for birdie which will give him the new clubhouse lead of 4-under. Not so good for Jordan Spieth, who is a monstrous 14-over. His well-documented struggles continue.
Pretty gritty stuff from PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa. Starting at +6 and playing in the tougher afternoon conditions left him a huge task to make it to the weekend but he’s still at +6 with two to play. As it stands, he’ll sneak through to the final 36 holes along with other +6ers such as Shane Lowry, Paul Casey and Rickie Fowler.
Matsuyama now heads to number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine…
Back at 7, the gutsy Thomas sinks a good one to return to 2-under. That’s birdie-2s on both par 3s on this nine. He still has a chance to tie the halfway lead.
Birdie at 8 (Days A Week) for non-Beatles fan Matsuyama. That puts him T11 (four back) as he continues his bid to become the first male Japanese golfer to win a major.
Reed has a putt on a very similar line but can’t convert so he heads to the par-5 9th, his final hole, still tied at the top.
-3 DeChambeau (F)
-3 Reed (16*)
-2 Cabrera Bello (F)
-2 English (F)
-1 Kokrak (F)
-1 Thomas (15*)
Reed’s approach to 8 sets up for his favoured draw and he hits a lovely shot to that 12-foot range again. Chance for a bounceback birdie and there’s still that closing par 5 to come.
Harris English shows Rory how to play US Open golf by closing with 11 straight pars to complete an even-par 70. Excellent stuff from the Georgia Bulldog and he’s currently tied second in the clubhouse on 2-under.
Reed’s natural shot is a draw so he has to rather manufacture a swing to produce a cut. It looks ungainly – a sort of exaggerated cricket cover drive with a high left elbow – but we saw him use it to good effect when he won the 2018 Masters and it works again on the 17th as he finds the fairway.
Reed compounds the error from the tee at 7 as his chip from greenside rough fails to emerge. No mistake with his second effort at least and he’ll have a tap-in bogey. The yo-yo between -3 and -4 continues and he’s T1 with DeChambeau once more.
A Rory McIlroy update but it’s a bit grim really. If a US Open is about par golf, Rory hasn’t twigged and he’s made just four of them in 15 holes. His card also comprises three birdies, seven bogeys and a double. He’s +6 for the day and +3 overall.
“That’s so dead. So dead. What are you doing? Straight fricking pull” – the words of Patrick Reed after he yanks his tee-shot at 7 into greenside rough. Then again, he’s bound to be somewhat self-critical of anything less than perfect having made a hole-in-one here yesterday.
A third player safely in the hutch in red figures and it’s Jason Kokrak after a 71. Add that to his opening 68 and he’s 1-under after 36 holes.
Meanwhile, Reed looks as if he might not cash in on the short par-4 6th after finding rough and chipping 12 or so feet past. But the putter really is his friend and he nails his birdie effort. Back to -4 and he leads by one with three to play.
And here he have Harris English to tie the lead at 8. His 30-footer up the hill looks in as it straightens up over the last few feet but just can’t grab enough of the lip and stays out. That’ll be a par though and he’ll have a realistic chance to match DeChambeau’s clubhouse target of -3 with a birdie at the par-5 9th.
Reed steadies himself, his putt is on line but, no, he leaves it short! Just needed a couple more revolutions (Hideki: can you name a Beatles song that springs to… oh, just forget it). A bogey and he drops back into a tie with DeChambeau at -3.
Reed keeps his calm though, unlike Brendon Todd who contemplates the full helicopter of his 7-iron after hoicking his second at 8 into the left rough.
Oooh! Justin Thomas almost holes his chip and run for an unlikely birdie at 4 (his 13th). It catches a piece of the hole but stays above ground.
Reed floats his bunker shot to around seven feet at 5. Tony Finau would miss 19 times out of 20 from that range but I’m expecting our leader to knock it in.
And…. Reed finds sand again with his approach to 5. Time for those magic wrists again.
Tiger now at +10, wedged between England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, who are also double digits over par.
Reed smooths a lovely draw off the 514-yard par-4 5th and finds the short grass. If he can make par there, he’ll have a few birdie chances over his final four holes. The 6th is a short par 4, the 7th a modest par 3 and the 9th a par 5 where we’ve seen eagles. Perhaps I’m getting carried away. He’d probably snap your hand off if you offered him five closing pars.
Leader Patrick Reed often appears to be doing this by smoke and mirrors. Every time you look up he’s missing a fairway, hitting from a bunker or wedging out of deep greenside rough and yet he’s even par for the day. He’ll have another test of his short game at 4 (his 13th) after finding the long stuff with his approach. And here we go again. With sleight of hand, he pops his ball onto the green and makes the five-footer vanish for par. Five holes to play and he leads by one.
-4 Reed (12*)
-3 DeChambeau (F)
-2 Cabrera Bello (F)
-2 English (14*)
Hideki Matsuyama once revealed at the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool that he’d never heard of the Beatles! Astonishing! It was bad enough hearing that Rory thought one of the Fab Four was called George Lucas or that Bubba couldn’t name any of them. But not to have actually heard of the greatest band of all time… well. Anyway, here he is taking the Long and Winding Road to a birdie at 1. He’d have been a fool if his ball had stuck on the hill.
…. trying to think of some others but it’s been a long day.
By using the slope to his advantage, Hideki Matsuyama makes a creative at the 1st. #USOopen pic.twitter.com/IOCfxWQool
Tiger Woods now a combined 20-over in his three-and-a-bit rounds at Winged Foot. He shot 12-over when missing the cut in 2006 and he’s +8 so far this week (+5 on his round today after 10). Looks like another halfway exit for the still current Masters champion.
And then there were five… in red figures. Jason Kokrak produces back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 to climb into solo fifth on 1-under. The 35-year-old American has never had a top 15 in his 12 majors so this is unfamiliar territory.
If you want further details on that chart and analysis of OTT (Off The Tee), ATG (Around The Green) etc, here’s a long read from the PGA Tour website.
One step forward and two steps back for Justin Thomas. After his birdie at 18, he takes double bogey at 1. Already 5-over for the day and he’s back to even par. Now just four players under par and here they are:
-4 Patrick Reed (10*)
-3 Bryson DeChambeau (F)
-2 Rafa Cabrera Bello (F)
-2 Harris English (13*)
A look at who’s doing what well. These R2 stats show that Rafa Cabrera Bello putted like a god today while DeChambeau and Bubba were the best from Tee To Green. Patrick Reed rather leaning on the shortstick too so far. (Graphic from Datagolf)
Looks like the guys out there now have got the unluckier side of the draw.
Early-late wave going to end up playing a course that is 1.5-2 shots harder, in a scenario where weather was pretty similar in morning and afternoon on both days. Something to keep in mind when evaluating USGA’s pre-weekend setup.
Patrick Reed uses the slopes better than Franz Klammer in his prime with a lovely bit of thinking at 1 (his 10th). He goes deliberately long with his approach, uses the backstop and watches his ball trickle back down the hill to tap-in range. In it goes and he leads on his own again at -4.
Back at the ultra-tough 18th, Justin Thomas stops the rot of four bogeys in five holes with a welcome birdie of his own. That takes him to -2.
Some thoughts from Lee Westwood after his rather ragged 76 today. As it stands, he’s tied 28th (+3) and six back.
“U.S. Opens I just think you’ve got to hang around. Ideally you don’t want runs of holes where you drop four shots in three holes, but 3-over is by no means out of it. Then you’ve just got to play solid over the weekend and see what happens. I shot 3-under yesterday.
Rory builds on his unlikely par save at 8 with a birdie at the par-5 9th. It could have been even better after a superb second but he’ll take it. Four back now. Tied 10th. Life is looking better suddenly as he heads for the second nine.
The average score today is +2.05 shots higher than it was in round one. That’s the second largest R1 to R2 jump in the history of the US Open.
-3 DeChambeau (F)
-3 Reed (8*)
-2 Cabrera Bello (F)
-2 English (10*)
-1 Thomas (8*)
Boom! Webb Simpson hasn’t been spotted much this week, probably only using up a couple of his allocated Andy Warhol minutes on the TV coverage, but he gets a brief 30 seconds in the limelight after sinking an eagle putt at 9. That hauls him up to 3-under and the 2012 US Open winner is suddenly tied for sixth. More air time for Webb please.
McIlroy unravelling quicker than Cleopatra from a slippery carpet off a cliff face. A flop shot from deep rough for his third at No.8 goes way past the flag and surely that’s another bogey.
But, wait! Rory sinks a monster putt and saves his par. He doesn’t exactly walk like an Egyptian off the green – it’s more like a relieved stagger – but could that get his head together again?
An update to sum up what’s unfolding at Winged Foot right now. Justin Thomas can’t save par after his wild tee-shot at 16, Patrick Reed finds a tough lie in sand and bogeys 17 while Tiger Woods racks up a double bogey at 16 after a loose second and miserable bogey putt which doesn’t have the will to reach the hole. Thomas -2, Reed -3, Tiger +6.
I guess we’d all be happy if walking off the course with an eagle, but clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau really couldn’t hide his delight after setting the target of -3.
“I feel great. Confidence is at an all-time high right now, driving it well, iron play is fantastic, wedging is getting better each and every day, and I’m putting it like I know I can. So very happy.
This is all getting away from Rory McIlroy. The 7th is a short par 3 but he underhits his tee-shot and can’t get up and down. It’s quite a scroll to find his name on the leaderboard now. You’ll spot it at tied 20th (+2).
Some quotes from world number one Dustin Johnson, who dug out an even-par 70 to finish at 3-over, currently six back of the clubhouse lead and seven adrift of on-course pacesetter Patrick Reed.
“Yeah, played solid. Definitely much better than yesterday. Obviously didn’t score that well coming down the stretch (finished bogey-bogey-par), but I played well. I’m happy with the game.
A reminder that the top 60 and ties make the cut this week. Right now, the axe is predicted to fall on those at +7 or worse.
Justin Thomas flings out his left arm and shouts “get lucky” after hitting a big pull off the 16th tee. It remains to be seen if his ball listened as we don’t know the lie yet.
But Patrick Reed won’t yield to the idea that today is now just damage limitation. He attacks the 16th flag and knocks in a 14-foot putt for birdie-3. That’s one against the head and he leads on his own at -4.
Was yesterday better than today? Was it more fun to see players picking up birdies and getting reward for good play? Or is today’s collage of missed fairways, hacks, chops, bunker shots, 50-foot putts and misses from 12 feet for par more appealing? It depends how we define ‘better’ I guess. I’ve quite enjoyed a bit of both but feel today was necessary to counterbalance round one’s relatively easy (for a US Open) scoring.
Rory in crisis here. He almost reverses the momentum in spectacular style when his bunker shot at 5 is heading towards the cup but it catches a piece of the hole and stays out. And, of course, he then misses the one back. Five shots gone in just four holes; McIlroy quickly needs to get off this snake and find a neutral square.
Thanks Gregg. There’s an awful long way to go today but given how tough Winged Foot is playing, does anyone seriously believe that Bryson DeChambeau won’t be leading on his own tonight? For the record, some bookies make that a 1/7 shot. Yep, you read that right.
-3 DeChambeau (F), English (6*), Reed (6*), Thomas (5*)
-2 Cabrera Bello (F), Todd (6*)
Patrick Reed is out on his own as leader on -4. Justin Thomas has followed his bogey at the 13th with another dropped shot at 14. Mind you, Reed may soon join Thomas on -3 after duffing his third from the sunken rough at the edge of the 15th barely on to the edge of the green.
Only one player out on the course at the moment is under par on the day: Harris English. He’s recovered from a bogey on 14 with a solid par on the 15th. Remember, only two players – Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau – have shot under-par rounds today. Will anybody else play well enough to join their cosy club?
Oh Rory! That birdie on the 1st seems so long ago – and he’s only on the 4th! The rough takes a tight hold of his club as he tries to find the green with his third, sucking all the life out of his stroke and landing the ball well short of the green. His fourth gives him a 15-footer to make bogey but the ball rolls past the cup. It’s a 6 for Rory. He’s back to evens after bogey-bogey-double. Take a deep breath. Time to reset.
Is it unravelling for Rory? Having walloped his second shot on the 4th into the juicy rough to the left just shy of the bunker, it just might be. Is the pace of play affecting him? It’s soooooo slow. They are on course for a seven-hour round at the moment. Up ahead of McIlroy, Thomas has dropped his first shot. He’s made four at the par-3 13th. Reed, who found the rough on 14, holds his nerve to save par. So he’s tied for the lead with Thomas on -4.
Harris English has had a lively morning. Having birdied the 12th and 13th, Winged Foot bites back on the par-4 14th. English hits the false front with his approach and watches his ball speed backwards. A fine third gives him a decent chance of par but he missed by inches and scores 5.
McIlroy splashes out of the bunker to within 15ft. Can he avoid a second consecutive bogey? It’s a clutch putt that could have a major bearing on whether he can gain some momentum on day two. No, no he can’t. It’s a difficult trickler that stays left. He’s back to -2. If you’re wondering how the leader, Thomas, is getting on, he’s made par on his first three holes. Faldo would be proud.
Having briefly joined Thomas at the top on -5, Patrick Reed has bogeyed the 13th to slip back down to -4. A quick look at Twitter tells me that most people are delighted with this. He’s not the most popular golfer is he?
If McIlroy was hoping to bounce back with a birdie at the 3rd having bogeyed the 2nd, he’ll have to do something special. He’s found a nasty bunker to the right of the green with his tee shot. He will do well to make par.
JT Poston has just added a little colour to the US Open with a delightful backwards dink on to the green at the 15th to avoid hitting a tree. It’s not going to brighten his mood, mind. He makes another bogey. He’s dropped five shots on his opening seven holes. He slides back to +6.
McIlroy has followed his birdie on the 1st with a bogey on the 2nd. He drove way right. So far in fact that he was almost on the 3rd tee box. He scrambles gamely and gets on the green in 3 but leaves himself a 40-footer. He almost saves par, too. Leaving himself a tap-in from mere inches. He’s back to -3.
-5 Thomas (2*), Reed (2*)
-4 McIlroy (1), English (4*)
-3 DeChambeau (F)
*Started on 10th
Of course, the players going out now still have to traverse the fearsome 16th, 17th and 18th, where shots can be dropped like marbles from a torn carrier bag. Lee Westwood finished double-bogey, bogey, bogey on those holes today to drop back to +3 having looked to be in contention earlier in the morning.
I have THREE birdies to report! And a change at the top of the leaderboard! Rory McIlroy nailed a 10-footer on the 1st to move to -4, Harris English made 4 on the par-5 12th to jump up to -3, and Patrick Reed followed par on the 10th with a birdie on the 11th to join Thomas at the top of the leaderboard on -5. Take that Winged Foot!
Oh Phil! Mickelson overcooks a par putt on the 9th (his 18th) to finish on a bogey. That means he goes home with a second round 74 to add to his first-round 79. He slopes off with +13 in total. Ouch.
Rory McIlroy has started round two where he left off on round one. He finds the fairway on the 1st with a beefy drive, before clipping a lovely approach on to the green to give himself an early birdie chance. On the 10th, Tiger saves par with a brilliant up and down and Thomas makes par after a timid birdie-putt meant he had to sink somewhat of a knee-trembler.
The leader, Justin Thomas (-5), strolls out on to the 10th to get his second round under way. Thwack! He’s safely on the green with his tee shot. Then it’s Tiger Woods’s turn to have another crack at Winged Foot. He starts on +3. One swing and a ping later, Tiger has shot through the green. It’s not the best start. Meanwhile, a beaming DeChambeau has said his aim over the last two days is to “continue hitting greens”. He seems delighted to have got round in 68 in such windy conditions.
Bryson DeChambeau has been a one-man circus today. He’s only gone and eagled the ninth (his 18th) to finish with a magnificent round of 68 to finish as the clubhouse leader on -3. His card is a parade of colour. That’s entertainment.
FIrst at the 9th by @b_dechambeau to finish up his round at 3 under. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/wsAkm6XovL
The 17th and 18th have bitten Xander Schauffele on his way in. He bogeyed both to finish on 72. Nobody is safe out there. He’s back to evens.
Butch Harmon has just been giving his thoughts on day two. He’s of the opinion that the leading score will come down to around -2 by the end of the day. “There’s no place like Winged Foot,” he beams, delighted that it is playing tougher after a soft opening day. Good luck Justin Thomas!
Hello. It’s Gregg here. I’ll keep things ticking over while Dave plugs himself in so he is suitably juiced up to bring you updates through till the end of day two. We have some of the big guns going out soon, with Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at 1.27pm/6.27pm (ET/BST) and Patrick Reed, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth at 1.16pm/6.16pm.
A quick glance at the leaderboard shows that Oosthuizen has slipped off it and back down to -1 after bogeying 16 and 17. DeChambeau is keeping him company there. He’ll soon wind up his round on the formidable 9th (his 18th), where he will hope to escape unscathed. There are a whopping 66 players on +3, hanging around like lost golf balls, hoping something will happen that gets them back in play.
And with the news that Jon Rahm has rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at 7 to get back to +1 (T19), I’ll hand back to Gregg for a couple of hours.
-5 Thomas (-)
-4 Reed (-)
-3 McIlroy (-)
-2 Cabrera Bello (F)
-2 Schauffele (16)
-2 Kokrak (1)
-2 Todd (-)
-2 English (-)
It’s been a tough old day for Jon Rahm after four bogeys and just a single birdie over his first 15 holes. That’s dropped him to +2 and currently seven back but, who knows, the lead could be -3 at close of play. And if Rahm could birdie the par-5 9th, his closing hole, the Spaniard would be well within striking distance.
Louis Oosthuizen looked as if he could set the new mark of 3-under but he’ll be happy to stay in the red now after successive bogeys at 16 and 17, both caused by missed fairways.
Meanwhile in this week’s European Tour event in Portugal…
Conditions in Portugal
: @A_Cockerill #OpendePortugal pic.twitter.com/eWuXghF2Gl
Bubba Watson posts the first under-par round of the day but he walks off not a happy camper after completing a 69 with a double bogey at 18 after false front trouble with his first putt. The sting in the tail leaves him +1 for the tournament and tied 19th.
As DJ stutters, Bryson DeChambeau makes par at 7. Two holes to go before he can head off and devour 14 raw steaks.
The wind looks to have died a little but that doesn’t help Dustin Johnson at the short par-3 7th. He comes up way short with his tee-shot after seeming to take too much turf and his rollercoaster putt up the false front surges way past the hole when it emerges into view on the top tier. It leaves him 15 feet for par but his putt has no conviction and pulls up short. A badly played hole, a bogey and DJ is back to +2.
It’s all getting a bit much for Matthew Wolff and that’s seven bogeys on his scorecard today and four in five on his second nine. From threatening the lead, he’s slumped to tied 19th (+1).
Bryson DeChambeau’s positive intent is rewarded at 6 (his 15th) as his huge drive leads to a birdie. His risky strategy is certainly being reflected in his scorecard: not for him the Faldo-esque full set of 18 pars; he’s made five birdies, five bogeys and five pars. Now -1 and tied for 10th.
Rafa Cabrera Bello sets the new clubhouse target of 2-under after a fantastic finish. The Spaniard was +1 with three to play and could easily have slipped back into the pack. But he birdied 6 and 7 before holing a six-footer at 9 to pick up three shots in his final four holes. He’s rescued a 70 from nowhere and will now be in one of the final groups on Saturday.
A projected cut line has appeared on the official scoreboard. Computer says +6 gets you in but +7 or more and you’re heading home.
Those currently at +7 or worse:
This should be good TV as Bryson DeChambeau attempts to drive the short par-4 15th. A mighty lash and his ball pulls up just short of the green. Golden birdie chance there. Tony Finau attempts the same but pulls his drive left and finds a rather surprising-placed creek running to the left of the putting surface. Dustin Johnson attempts to show there’s more than one way to skin a cat and opts for the lay up, wedge option. And it could well pay off as he leaves a great look at birdie.
Under par count: 12. That’s down from 21 at start of play. Pieters is the clubhouse leader on even par but both Bubba Watson and Rafa Cabrera Bello are 1-under after 17 so could set the new mark. As for the cut, it’s hovering around +4/+5 but will probably go higher this afternoon.
Thomas Pieters, looking not as miffed as you’d think having dropped six shots in his final nine holes, says this of day two at Winged Foot: “It’s definitely twice as tough as yesterday with the wind.” Seems a fair assessment.
As Pieters will testify, once those bogeys start racking up, it’s hard to reverse the momentum. However, Rafa Cabrera Bello is proving it can be done as he’s followed bogeys at 3 and 5 with birdies at 6 and 7 to move back to -1 with two to play.
-5 Thomas (-)
-4 Reed (-)
-3 Oosthuizen (14)
-3 Schauffele (13)
-3 McIlroy (-)
It’s another Thomas Pieters bogey I’m afraid and this one at 18 drops him back to even par. How things changed for the Belgian today. At one point he was cruising along and a shot clear of the field at 6-under. But if Winged Foot’s front nine doesn’t get you, the even harder back nine can be a card wrecker and Pieters came home in 41 after six bogeys and three pars. It all added up to a 74 and he’s gone from solo first to tied 14th. Time to restock.
And a final stat: just five players in the morning wave are under par for the day – Xander Schauffele, Bubba Watson, Daniel Berger, Dustin Johnson and Keegan Bradley. Respect to those quintet of Americans, three major winners among them.
Matthew Wolff has taken to majors like a duck to water. Again, impress your friends time with this:
Wolf is the first player in men’s golf history to begin his championship career with five consecutive rounds in the 60s.
Louis Oosthuizen caresses in a 20-footer for birdie at 13 and climbs up to tied third.
Two random Oosthuizen stats to light up most dinner parties:
A smile and a cheery wave to the imaginary crowds from Bryson DeChambeau. The 224-yard par-3 3rd isn’t a birdie hole but the former US Amateur champ turns it into one by draining his 25-footer. For the third time today he follows a bogey with a birdie and this latest red number puts him back to -1 for the tournament and looking dangerous in T11th.
The PGA Tour website actually has a ‘Bounce Back’ stat which measures the percent of time a player is over par on a hole and then under par on the following hole. The top seven in the just-completed 2020 season are: Will Gordon, Gary Woodland, Dustin Johnson, Aaron Wise, Grayson Murray, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose. Note the three US Open champs in that list, showcasing how temperament is a vital weapon when trying to win this most attritional major.
Jon Rahm hit just two greens in regulation over his first 10 holes but he finds the par-4 11th in two and will have around 15 feet for birdie. Some short-game prowess has reduced the bogey count but lying 2-over for the day and +1 overall wasn’t in this thoughts this morning.
Hats off to Lee Westwood for some US Open resilience today. Three bogeys in his first six holes suggested this could be a very long day indeed but the Englishman has played his next eight holes in 1-under to hang on in there at -1. Yesterday’s 67 gave him a certain amount of wriggle room heading out this morning and, despite the slips, he’s still only four off the lead.
Matthew Wolff (-3) is in a whole heap of trouble at 1 (his 10th). He finds the thick stuff up at the green and has no control as he hacks out high into the sky. The ball floats far too far and almost runs off the other side of the green.
In other news, if Tony Finau could putt he’d be about five shots clear. His dubious speciality is missing six footers and another one slides by at 2. Back-to-back bogeys and he’s back to Evens.
If someone had analysed trends and data to try and predict the winner here, the best fit would have been Daniel Berger. The American is the ideal candidate in terms of age, world ranking, experience and form and the numbers even show that it’s better not to have won a major. Berger, who was sixth at Shinnecock two years ago, ticks that box too. So it’s validation for those responsible for ‘Project Bergerbot 2020’ to see him with the best score of the day so far. He’s 3-under on the card and Evens overall.
Thanks Gregg. You’ll notice the sudden lack of the name ‘Pieters’ on the latest leaderboard. The Belgian had a tricky birdie try at 15 which he steered to close range. But he knocked the par putt twice as far away and looked to be staring a dreaded four-putt square in the face. He did well to hole the return putt but that’s a fourth bogey in six holes on this troublesome second nine. At least he now has an easy run of par 4s measuring 488, 501 and 465 yards to close his round! Tough times for Pieters and his drive at 16 trickles into the rough.
-5 Thomas (-)
-4 Reed (-)
-3 Wolff (9), McIlroy (-)
Right, Dave is back and will update the leaderboard shortly. See you again soon.
Luis Oosthuizen has saved par with a monster putt on the 10th to keep himself in good company in a group of seven who are all lurking with intent on -2. Make that a group of six. Finau, on the 1st (his 1oth) was among them. He’s not any more. He landed his second miles from the pin after struggling to make sense of the wind and three-putted as many have on this most difficult of holes.
Xander Schauffele fluffs a very puttable eagle attempt at the 9th after two wonderful shots got him to within 10ft. He just doesn’t go after the putt with any conviction. A tap-in for birdie takes the young American from San Diego back to -2 for the championship, though.
Winged Foot has really sunk its teeth into Pieters in the past couple of hours. Having led at -6 not so long ago, he is has just arrived on the 15th frantically searching for his missing mojo. He looked to be in recovery mode after making par at the 13th, but another dropped shot at the 14th has taken him back to -3.
“I am stunned by the stat that no left handed has won the US Open,” writes David Gaskell. “I am a leftie and in my seventies. I have now bought a practice net for the garden. I am also looking for the odds, betting wise. Do you think Phil is setting up a ‘Sting’? He likes his bets.” Given he needs about five or six birdies in the next nine holes to make the cut, I very much doubt that David.
DJ thrashes wildly at his second on the 18th, ripping through the rough to try and get the ball over the false front that guards the 18th green. His ball falls short though and down, down, down it rolls. He’s not going to get up and down from there in two is he? Oh, yes. Yes he is! A fine little scoop up for his third leaves him a right-to-left 10-footer that he absolutely nails. A fine par. Finau, meanwhile, taps home for par after waiting an age for the wind to die down. The flags are flapping at Winged Foot.
Tony Finau has hit a lovely drive down the 18th (his ninth), arcing beautifully to land on the tricky dog leg before bounding off down the fairway. Just making par here is a feat. Finau is at 1-2 for the championship and looks ever so relaxed. Dustin Johnson may be ruffled for the first time today though. He lands his drive in the rough to the left and could be staring at the first blemish on his card for round two.
Up ahead of Westwood on the 217-yard par-3 13th, Pieters has given himself a birdie chance with a sizzling iron off the tee. His ball lands with a plop and puts the brakes on before rolling gently down the slope about 15 feet from the pin. Having made two bogeys in the past three holes, how he would like to get the blood pumping again with a birdie. It’s not to be, though. His putt squirts past to the right of the cup.
Lee Westwood is trying to get his round back on track after a testing morning, in which he made three bogies on the first eight before making birdie at 9. He’s +2 for the day and -1 for the tournament. And he cracked a lovely tee-shot down the tricky par-3 10th to ensure he makes par there, too. He was whisker away from a birdie.
-5 Thomas (-)
-4 Pieters (11)
-4 Reed (-)
-3 Wolff (6)
-3 McIlroy (-)
Hello, Gregg here. I’ll be with you for the next hour while Dave takes a little break. How are we all? Good to hear. Having taken a little peek at the scores for the holes on day two, the average on the vast majority of them is up on the first day. Winged Foot has sharpened its claws and many of those who have gone out this morning have been bloodied. Not the 2016 champion, though. Dustin Johnson has made a fine start, with two birdies from his first seven holes today, He is loitering with intent at +1.
And with that, I shall hand over to Gregg Bakowski to guide you through the next hour.
Pieters’ missed fairway at 11 leads to a second straight bogey. The ship is leaking oil suddenly and he drops to 4-under and out of the lead.
Par putts from 10 feet are worth their weight in gold in conditions like this and that’s why Jon Rahm fist pumps at 15. Following his bogey-birdie start, the Spaniard has reeled off four pars to remain 1-under. As with DJ, official status: lurking.
Prowling DJ. The world number one goes 2-under for his round and +1 overall with a short birdie conversion at 15 (his sixth). That two-shot swing with Pieters means Johnson is now within six of the lead.
A first blip of the day from Thomas Pieters as a poor tee-shot at 10 leads to a bogey. Hopefully this won’t be a tale of two nines and he can get back on track. For now, he’s tied for the lead again with Justin Thomas, who tees off later today.
Update: Pieters drags his tee-shot at 11 into the thick stuff. Hmmm.
Strange but true: no left-hander has ever won the US Open. Phil Mickelson has obviously had multiple stabs at it, finishing runner-up six times. But Bubba Watson hasn’t brought much to the table though, not managing a single top 50 in his last nine attempts. He’s going okay here though: -1 for the day (7) and +1 overall. Not that I’ll be putting any money on him to win, mind.
A total of 21 players started round two in red figures. That’s now down to 15 as Winged Foot picks them off one by one. How many will still be under par at close of play?
Perhaps the subject of that last tweet should have been chosen more carefully. DeChambeau has just knocked in a 12-footer for birdie at 14 to climb to -1.
Back at 9, Pieters just misses with his birdie try on the course’s first par 5 but that’s a wonderful outward half of 2-under and he leads the 120th US Open by a shot from Justin Thomas.
Yep, it’s tougher today…
When you see When you see
the Winged Foot the Winged Foot
scoring avg. scoring avg.
on Thursday on Friday
vs. pic.twitter.com/VXxsgNIL20
An ugly 5-5-5 start for Rickie Fowler. That equates to double bogey, bogey, par so a very positive take is that he’s improving on each hole. But, he started the day in red figures and is now 2-over. The recent uncertainties in his game appear to be being exposed by the tougher conditions today.
Daniel Berger is digging in after a difficult first day. The in-form American had to settle for a 73 yesterday but is 1-under after 5 today and back up to +2 alongside Johnson.
He’s had some chances but world number one Dustin Johnson hasn’t been able to build on his opening birdie-2 at 10. A trio of pars keep him ticking over although he’ll want to find the more scenic waters of even par or better sooner rather than later. DJ currently +2 and T44.
When Pieters does threaten to wobble, his putter comes to the rescue. He faces an eight-footer for par at 8 but rolls it in with no fuss at all. Great stuff from the Belgian.
-6 Pieters (8)
-5 Thomas (-)
-4 Reed (-)
-3 Cabrera Bello (5), Oosthuizen (3), McIlroy (-)
Lee Westwood has steadied the ship after those two opening bogeys. He pars 3 and 4 to stay at 1-under.
But fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood is facing a battle to just make the cut. An opening birdie was a nice start but he ruined it with a double bogey at 2. A par at 3 and he’s currently tied 99th at 5-over.
DeChambeau’s putting stroke isn’t a thing of beauty – all harsh, brutal angles and unnatural stiffness – but it’s worked spectacularly at times this season. Not at 12 though as he takes an eternity to pull the trigger, doesn’t back off when not settled and then misses left for a sloppy bogey. He’s back to Evens.
It’s an extreme way of highlighting how Winged Foot has toughened up today but check Rory Sabbatini’s scorecard. Yesterday he fired seven birdies in a 69. Today, he’s started bogey-par-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey and suddenly finds himself at 4-over and tied 78th.
Oof! Pieters almost holes one from downtown for birdie at the par-3 7th, the scene of two aces yesterday. Not to worry, at 2-under for the day (joint best on the course) it’s all going to plan and he stays out in front at 6-under.
Xander Schauffle has been a popular pick this week. The popular pick starts with a par at 1 to stay nicely tucked in at -2. That’ll keep him popular with all those who picked him.
Not sure Schauffele will manage to hit a shot this week without being labelled ‘a lot of people’s pick’.
Matthew Wolff started the day in tied second but there’s an internal howl of frustration as he misses his par putt at 10. A bogey to start for the young American, who falls to 3-under but still in the top five.
Pieters, meanwhile, continues on his merry way with a par at the 6th and he remains in front by one at 6-under.
DeChambeau’s bombs away approach pays off at 11 as he wedges and putts for birdie to return to -1.
Across at the par-3 13th, Cabrera-Bello records his second ‘2’ of the round by nailing a 20-footer across the green. Up to 4-under. Great start for the Europeans with Pieters and Cabrera-Bello both -2 for the day and now 1st and T3rd respectively.
Hmmm. I was a bit premature saying Rahm had a short par putt. It was a good five feet and he misses it. An opening bogey it is then and that drops the Spaniard to Evens.
New ground is broken as Thomas Pieters becomes the first player to hit 6-under this week. He actually misses the fairway at the 514-yard par-4 5th but belts a brilliant second to six feet and strokes in the putt with the air of a man once tetchy but now becalmed by fatherhood. Yep, he’s another flying the flag for the ‘Nappy Factor’ this week after his first child, Florence, arrived in July.
Leaderboard update:
Rahm misses the green left with his opening tee-shot at the par-3 10th but some magic Spanish hands leave him with a short par putt.
DeChambeau has his first chance to hit seven shades of something out of his golf ball and duly smashes his drive at 11 deep down the fairway. He’ll have a flick for his second at one of the shorter par 4s on the course so a good chance to balance the books after his opening bogey.
Westwood hits another approach into sand, at 2. Not the start he wanted although he has green to play with this time and it’s a more routine bunker shot. Or is it? His ball is plugged and the best he can do is splash out to 12 feet. The par putt stays up so it’s a niggling bogey-bogey start (now -1).
Over at 10, DeChambeau can’t get up and down for par so drops to Evens. Finau misses his birdie putt but Dustin Johnson makes no mistake. Just what the doctor ordered. That 12-footer takes him up to 2-over and currently tied 49th.
Here come the big hitters: Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Tony Finau tee off at 10 although they won’t get a real chance to flex their muscles just yet as this is a par 3. DeChambeau misses the green but Johnson and Finau both hit excellent tee-shots to set up birdie chances from around 12-15 feet.
Joint-leader Pieters has around 18 feet for birdie at the 476-yard par-4 4th hole but his right-to-lefter never breaks in time. Still, that’s another tough hole out of the way and he’ll be delighted with this solid start.
Cabrera-Bello holes a testy one at 11 (his second) for par and stays two back. Compatriot Jon Rahm tees off shortly.
Lee Westwood attacks the left flag at the first hole and, oh no, finds sand. He has no shot from there and can only play out sideways and try and catch a slope that will track his ball back towards the pin. He makes a decent attempt at his bunker shot but these greens have huge slopes and he ends up around 50 feet away. The uphill par putt is well judged but that’ll be an opening bogey and he’ll drop back to 2-under.
While Pieters has started 3-4-3 at those tough first three holes, Jim Herman has played that same stretch 5-6-4. That spirals the American back to 7-over.
A similar fate befalls Michael Thompson. He’s opened double bogey-bogey to fall from even par to 3-over.
An excellent scrambling par for Pieters at the third hole as he drains a 20-footer to keep a clean card. That keeps him tied for the lead with Justin Thomas.
Jon Rahm (tees off in 30 minutes) is being tipped to become the first Spanish player to win the US Open. And he’s going nicely after an opening 69. But he’s not the best-placed Spaniard on the leaderboard. That’ll be Rafa Cabrera Bello, who fired 68 yesterday and has now moved to -3 after an opening birdie at 10. RCB has missed five cuts and failed to make a top 20 in his last nine starts but he’s changed the script so far this week.
Pieters, wearing a few outer layers on a rather chilly morning, finds the second green in the right number and guides his 40-foot putt up to the hole. That’ll be a par and he remains tied at the top on -5.
Lee Westwood was the highest-placed Englishman on the leaderboard after an opening 67 yesterday, a round which put him in the top five. Could this be the week when he finally lands that elusive first major? He’s heading to the 1st tee now.
In other Westwood news…
Scratched an itch this morning. Badly Drawn Boy reminds me of Lee Westwood in disguise. Something about their eyes, the way they talk & their facial expressions.https://t.co/DaDamiO07t
This was Thomas Pieters speaking after his opening 66…
“I’ve made my comeback, so to say, in Wales five weeks ago, and didn’t really have any expectations, kind of was expecting it to take a couple weeks before I get into like competition mode. And did well there, finished third. So I kind of knocked the rust off and came here with, yeah, a bit of confidence because I’m hitting it well. And just got to put down a good score, and I did today.”
Tee No. 1
0650 Richy Werenski, Taylor Pendrith, Renato Paratore
0701 Jim Herman, John Pak (a), Thomas Pieters
0712 Michael Thompson, Andrew Putnam, Chesson Hadley
0723 Bernd Wiesberger, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
0734 Lee Westwood, James Sugrue (a), Bubba Watson
0745 Matt Fitzpatrick, Daniel Berger, Branden Grace
0756 Tommy Fleetwood, Kevin Kisner, Abraham Ancer
0807 Louis Oosthuizen, Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley
0818 Billy Horschel, Xander Schauffele, Brandt Snedeker
0829 Shugo Imahira, Byeong Hun An, Takumi Kanaya (a)
0840 Danny Lee, Mark Hubbard, Lanto Griffin
0851 Stephan Jaeger, Lee Hodges, Adrian Otaegui
1210 Daniel Balin, Greyson Sigg, J.C. Ritchie
1221 Ricky Castillo (a), Brian Harman, Andy Sullivan
1232 Tom Lewis, Preston Summerhays (a), Jason Kokrak
1243 Martin Kaymer, Jimmy Walker, John Augenstein (a)
1254 Tyler Duncan, Thomas Detry, Erik van Rooyen
1305 Tyrrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett
1316 Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day
1327 Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Justin Rose
1338 Ian Poulter, Patrick Cantlay, Steve Stricker
1349 Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners
1400 Sebastian Munoz, Chun An Yu (a), Justin Harding
1411 Scott Hend, Dan McCarthy, Ryan Vermeer
It appears day one at Winged Foot was an opinion divider. With four major champions and two other Ryder Cuppers in the top seven, it suggests the course identified the best players. So far, so good. But, hey, this is a US Open at Winged Foot. We were sold the idea that it would be brutal, just like the 1974 and 2006 editions when, across those two events, only one player broke par in the first round (Monty in 2006). Instead, 21 players ended yesterday in red numbers. And while Geoff Ogilvy managed just nine birdies during his 2006 win, Rory Sabbatini racked up seven of the rascals in his first 18 holes. It’s not cricket as we know it Jim. Or something.
Anyway, there are plenty urging us not to panic. Winged Foot will do its thing over the next few days they tell us and scores will be kept firmly in check. Yesterday was the day to cash in; from here, it’s three days of grind. So, will Winged Foot fight back? Stay tuned to find out.
But not everyone is caving in. Thomas Pieters shot an excellent 4-under 66 on day one and a birdie from inside four feet at the opening hole means the big Belgian is now tied for the lead at -5 with Justin Thomas (an afternoon starter).
And that, adds the par 70, now getting bolshie and flicking the V’s like a golf course version of Liam Gallagher. Five of the first six players on the course have started with bogey.
Have some of that, says Winged Foot in a wispy, magical voice… Shaun Norris and Rory Sabbatini, who both shot under par on day one, both bogey their opening hole (10).
Potential good news for those who want to see these guys suffer.
The weather forecast at Winged Foot today shows a mix of sun and cloud but, and here’s the good bit, NNE winds of 14mph all day. That’s a contrast to all those limp flags yesterday.
Only one player failed to shoot in the 60s or 70s yesterday. And that’s with 13 amateurs in the field. Come on Winged Foot, time to pull your finger out and show us your teeth – to paraphrase a Tom Watson quote about Turnberry.
Let’s go!
At the 1st, it’s Richy Werensky (+3), Taylor Pendrith (+1) and young Italian Renato Paratore (+1).
