U.S. Open: Rickie’s resurgence, Phil heads home and more storylines

LOS ANGELES — As Rickie Fowler walked up the 18th fairway at Los Angeles Nation Membership on Friday, followers chanted his identify. It was a sound the California native, as soon as ranked among the many high 5 golfers on the planet, hadn’t heard in fairly some time.

Fowler has a 1-stroke lead over Wyndham Clark on the midway level of the 123rd U.S. Open. In a match that prides itself in being the hardest take a look at in golf, Fowler is already 10 beneath and has carded 18 birdies (with eight bogeys). It is essentially the most birdies or higher within the first two rounds of a serious prior to now 30 years, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Data.

“Sure, I am within the lead, however we’re solely midway there,” Fowler stated. “Being within the lead is sweet, but it surely actually means nothing proper now. I am trying ahead to persevering with to problem myself and go on the market and try to execute the most effective I can.”

To win his first main championship, Fowler should maintain off a loaded leaderboard that features four-time main champion Rory McIlroy (8 beneath), Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele (8 beneath), Harris English (7 beneath) and reigning LIV Golf League particular person champion Dustin Johnson (6 beneath). World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is 5 strokes again, and reigning Open Championship winner Cameron Smith trails by 6.

Going again to 1996, in accordance with Elias Sports activities Bureau, 24 of the previous 27 U.S. Open champions have been both main or inside 2 strokes after 36 holes. The exceptions have been Matt Fitzpatrick in 2022 (3 again), Brooks Koepka in 2018 (5 again) and Webb Simpson in 2012 (6 again).

Golf followers can complain that Los Angeles Nation Membership’s North Course is not troublesome sufficient for a U.S. Open. Nevertheless it’s onerous to search out fault with the leaderboard heading into the weekend.

They’re all chasing Fowler, who completed within the high 4 of every of the majors in 2014. However then he misplaced his swing and confidence. He fell to 176th within the Official World Golf Rating. He did not qualify for 3 of 4 majors final yr.

“I positive hope everybody can relate to struggles as a result of everybody offers with them,” Fowler stated. “Nobody’s good. I feel you would be mendacity if you have not been by means of a troublesome time, particularly for those who play golf. I am trying ahead to the weekend. It has been some time since I’ve felt this good in a match, not to mention a serious. It will be a problem, however I am positively trying ahead to it.”

Right here comes the solar

The solar lastly emerged from the marine layer above L.A. shortly after gamers in Friday’s morning wave completed their rounds. It wasn’t excellent news for gamers within the afternoon wave.

The North Course was markedly tougher within the afternoon. The scoring common within the first spherical was 71.38 with 37 gamers beneath par. There have been six rounds of 65 or higher and 340 birdies or eagles. On Friday, the scoring common was 72.22 with 33 gamers beneath par. There was only one spherical beneath 65 and 291 birdies or eagles, in accordance with Elias.

“The situations now, it is a bit of brighter, sunnier, a bit of little bit of breeze,” McIlroy stated. “It is obtained the potential to get a bit of firmer and quicker over the subsequent couple days, which can make the scores go up a bit of bit. We’ll see what it is like on the finish of the week.”

English stated situations are actually such that the USGA could make the course as troublesome because it desires. The weekend forecast requires partly cloudy skies with excessive temperatures from 74 to 78 levels. There’s little probability for rain with winds from 6-7 mph from the south/southwest.

“We noticed some [difficulty] with the pin places in the present day,” English stated. “I do not do AimPoint, however a minimum of 3-percent slope. They’ll get [greens] as agency and quick as they need and put these pins in some powerful spots. It will be enjoyable. The tough continues to be going to be penal, and I feel all people goes to get the U.S. Open they have been desirous to see.”

One other LIV champion?

The LIV Golf League-PGA Tour rivalry has dominated discuss across the majors the previous two seasons, and this week has been no completely different after the PGA Tour introduced final week that it is forming an alliance with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund.

Can a LIV Golf League participant comply with Koepka’s third PGA Championship victory at Oak Hill Nation Membership in Rochester, New York, final month? Johnson and Smith are each inside hanging distance.

Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open winner, continues to be within the combine for his third main championship victory, regardless of carding a quadruple-bogey 8 on the second gap.

DJ hit his drive on No. 2 right into a fairway bunker to the left. He popped up his second shot, and his ball landed 95 yards away within the deep tough. Johnson then hit his third shot right into a barranca, a slender gorge, and took an unplayable lie. His fifth shot flew the inexperienced, after which he could not rise up and down. Someway, he recovered to card an even-par 70 within the spherical.

Requested what was his worst shot within the sequence, Johnson stated, “In all probability the bunker shot, but it surely actually wasn’t that unhealthy. I simply caught it a bit of bit heavy so it got here out a bit of bit left. I used to be simply making an attempt to get it again within the fairway.”

Requested if he hit a superb shot whereas making an 8, DJ stated, “No.” With the way in which Johnson is driving the ball, he looks like he has an opportunity.

“Clearly, I really feel like I am swinging rather well and rolling it good, too,” Johnson stated. “So, if I can preserve driving it like I’m, I will be round right here on the weekend.”

No protection

The USGA may wish to put a excessive fence across the fifteenth gap. The brief par 3 has already surrendered three aces, together with Fitzpatrick’s first profession hole-in-one as knowledgeable on Friday. The Englishman turned the primary defending champion to report an ace on the U.S. Open. France’s Matthieu Pavon and American Sam Burns every had one within the first spherical.

“With out that, I in all probability would not be right here for the weekend,” stated Fitzpatrick, who’s 1-over 141 after 36 holes. “So, yeah, it was wanted.”

It’s the first time there have been three aces at any gap within the U.S. Open since there have been 4 on No. 6 at Oak Hill Nation Membership within the second spherical of the 1989 U.S. Open, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Data.

Fitzpatrick’s ace got here from 115 yards. The USGA is anticipated to shorten the outlet to as few as 78 yards on both Saturday or Sunday, which might make it the shortest par 3 in U.S. Open historical past. It’s a fully completely different problem than Nos. 7 and 11, that are two of the longest within the match’s historical past, at 299 yards and 297 yards, respectively.

Fitzpatrick stated he prefers the fifteenth over the opposite par-3s on the course.

“It is an excellent gap,” he stated. “It is miles higher than the opposite two lengthy par-3s. It isn’t even a contest. For me, I simply suppose that you just obtained a sand wedge or a lob wedge or a spot wedge in your hand and also you’re nervous, and I feel that is the factor.

“That is why you are all the time hitting 3-wood in and 7-wood. You are not nervous. You are not enthusiastic about it. You are simply making an attempt to hit it as onerous as you’ll be able to and get it to the inexperienced. There is not any actual thought course of in it, behind it.”

Headed residence

Six-time main champion Phil Mickelson’s 53rd birthday on Friday wasn’t a lot of a celebration, a minimum of not on the golf course. Mickelson is headed residence after ending 3 over after 36 holes, lacking the reduce by 1 stroke.

Mickelson failed in his ninth try to change into the sixth man to finish the profession Grand Slam. He has missed the reduce in three of his previous 4 U.S. Open begins. Mickelson declined to talk to reporters after the spherical.

The reduce line of 2-over 142 is the bottom by way of complete strokes (LACC is a par-70 course) in U.S. Open historical past, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Data. The earlier low was 3-over 143 on the Nation Membership in Brookline, Massachusetts, final yr, and Olympia Fields outdoors Chicago in 2003.

Different gamers who’re headed residence after lacking the reduce embody Jordan Spieth (3 over), Mito Pereira (3 over), Justin Rose (4 over), Max Homa (4 over), Adam Scott (5 over), Sungjae Im (6 over), Keegan Bradley (6 over), Jason Day (9 over) and Justin Thomas (14 over).

It was Thomas’ worst scoring complete to par in a serious.

“Yeah, it is positively the bottom I’ve felt,” Thomas stated Friday. “It is fairly, truthfully, humiliating and embarrassing capturing scores like that. At a golf course I actually, actually appreciated. I assumed it was arrange very effectively.”

The place are the roars?

There have been solely a handful of noticeable roars on the property this week, for the three hole-in-ones and a few eagles. In any other case, it has been fairly tame at LACC, particularly for a serious championship.

“I want it could have been louder,” Fitzpatrick stated of the response to his ace. “I want it was a couple of extra folks. However, yeah, I am stunned there’s not been as many individuals out as I assumed this week.”

The USGA restricted ticket gross sales to solely 22,000 per day, together with 9,000 for most of the people. The remaining went to skyboxes, suites, company companions and LACC members. There are about 30,000 folks on the grounds every day, in accordance with the USGA. It is also a troublesome course to get round.

“The crowds aren’t as large on the market,” English stated. “A pair tee pictures and a pair greens, there’s actually no person round as a result of the followers cannot get round an entire lot.”

It is likely one of the smallest build-outs in U.S. Open historical past for the 18th inexperienced. Including grandstands to the opposite aspect of the inexperienced would have been troublesome due to the No. 1 fairway and No. 10 tee. It additionally would have blocked members’ views from the again porch of the clubhouse.