It was a starry leaderboard with some of best in golf were atop the leaderboard on Day 2 at the US Open.  But the moment belonged to Collin Morikawa, who fired a 4-under 66 to reach 5 under for the championship and command the co-lead alongside Joel Dahmen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One stroke back are defending champion Jon Rahm (69-67), 2011 winner and four-time major champ Rory McIlroy (67-69), Aaron Wise (68-68) and qualifiers Hayden Buckley (68-68) and Beau Hossler (69-67), who holed out from a greenside bunker on the par-4 ninth, his last of the day, to cap a birdie-birdie finish. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (70-67) is among the group two strokes back at 3-under 137.

 

 

 

 

Should Morikawa close the deal over the next 36 holes, the five-time PGA Tour winner would become the quickest player in history to attain three major titles. This is only Morikawa’s 11th major-championship start since he turned professional after graduating from the University of California-Berkeley in 2019. Peter Thomson notched his third major title, the 1956 British Open, in start No. 12, while Lee Trevino (1971 British Open) and Ralph Guldahl (1939 Masters) needed 15 starts.

 

 

 

 

Watch the full leaderboard at https://www.usopen.com/scoring.html 

 

 

Of course, 36 holes remain, but if anyone has the temperament and skill to navigate those hurdles, it’s the seemingly always calm Morikawa.

 

 

 

For the first time since 2014 on PGA Tour Canada, Joel Dahmen has a share of the 36-hole lead, this time in the 122nd U.S. Open.  Prior to his 36-hole final qualifier on June 6 in Powell, Ohio, Dahmen considered withdrawing and using U.S. Open week to rest for the remainder of the PGA Tour season. He didn’t think his game, which relies on precision over power, translated to major-championship setups. The Country Club isn’t a bombers’ paradise, however, and the Washington native has hit 28 of 36 greens to tie for first in the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOME INTERESTING UPDATES

• Phil Mickelson, a six-time U.S. Open runner-up, was among the luminaries who missed the cut.
• Four amateurs made the cut after none made it last year at Torrey Pines. Travis Vick, a 2021 U.S. Amateur semifinalist, led the way at 1-under 139.
• Of the 64 players who made the cut, 23 were qualifiers, including three who survived both local and final qualifying: Chris Naegel, Sam Stevens and Chris Gotterup.
• Cameron Young registered the 48th known hole-in-one in U.S. Open history when he aced the 165-yard sixth hole with an 8-iron. The last holes-in-one came in 2020 at Winged Foot by Will Zalatoris and Patrick Reed, both on the seventh hole in Round 1.
• World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and his good friend, No. 9 Sam Burns, are sharing a house this week, along with Burns’ swing coach, Brad Pullin, and Scheffler’s caddie, Ted Scott. Scheffler and Burns are a combined 5 under par.

 

 

(USGA)