US Open golf 2024: second round – live | US Open

Did Rory miss a bit of a chance today to create some daylight? Kaymer followed his opening 65 here in 2014 with another but McIlroy was seven shots worse on Friday following his -5 lap of Pinehurst on day one. He drove it extremely well and is 1st for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee in today’s stats. The culprit was the flatstick, McIlroy ranking a lowly 130th for SG: Putting so far in round two.

It’s a birdie for Matthieu Pavon at his opening hole, the par-5 10th. Tres bien! That lifts the Frenchman to -4 and into a tie for third with Bryson DeChambeau and Thomas Detry, who are both done for the day. Pavon certainly seems to like these par 5s. There are only two of them at Pinehurst but he’s now -5 after three attempts at those long holes thanks to that birdie from sand just now and a pair of eagles yesterday. For wide-eyed, tell your friends context, Pavon has played the par 5s in seven shots fewer than Scottie Scheffler.

-5: Cantlay (3), Åberg (3)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Pavon (1)
-3: McIlroy (F)

Tiger! Woods shows that the whole point of towering an iron onto the green isn’t just for show; it’s so you can knock the resulting birdie putt in. And he does just that! A contender for loudest roar of the day as he sinks his 16-footer to return to -3. It’s worth noting that he played that same four-hole stretch in +3 yesterday. He’s four shots better over 1-4 today.

I’m sure many of you have manufactured some kind of twin TV set-up to keep an eye on both the golf and Germany v Scotland in Euro 2024. You can follow the Tartan Army on our live blog here. Martin Kaymer (+3) and Robert MacIntyre (+6) are both done for the day so can maybe share a cab somewhere to watch it all unfold.

A par-par-par start for Tiger and now he has 229 yards for his approach to the 4th. It’s a beauty, Woods producing a long-iron from his imperious pomp to set up a birdie chance from maybe 15 feet. Tiger is inside the likely cut line of +5 by a shot but you feel he’s walking a tightrope today. One bad hole and he flips the other side of it. We’re all pulling for him though, especially when you see shots like that.

A three-putt bogey for Detry at his penultimate hole drops him out of the lead and back to -4. He’s replaced at the top by Åberg, who drains a 30-footer for birdie at 2, the Swede giving the crowd a noncholant wave as he joins Cantlay in the lead on -5. Up at 3, Cantlay has the chance to pull clear on his own but his 11-footer slides by, as a lot of putts do on these super-fast greens.

It’s quite the international leaderboard as I scan my eyes over the top 10, with eight different nationalities on show. We have three American flags and one each from Belgium, Sweden, Northern Ireland, France, Japan, Canada and Spain. As the three three previous Pinehurst winners were from the United States (Payne Stewart), New Zealand (Michael Campbell) and Germany (Martin Kaymer), that seems quite appropriate.

Thanks Scott. Another superb shift. I’d say the equivalent of a 4-under 66 at Pinehurst today.

… and with that, I’ll hand over to David Tindall, who will take this thing home. I’ll see you again tomorrow for Moving Day. Enjoy, enjoy!

A disappointing opening par for Brooks Koepka at 10. A chip up from 35 yards to six feet looked to have set up birdie, but the putt’s never dropping. The two-time champion remains at level par.

Ludvig Åberg opens with a no-nonsense par at 1. The debutant – only the seventh player in history to shoot 66 or better in his first-ever US Open round – remains at -4. Meanwhile up on 2, Tiger finds himself in a bit of bother off the tee, in the scrub down the right, and can’t reach the green in two. But he gets up and down from 50 yards, a staunch 12-footer for par saving the day. He remains at +4.

Thomas Detry leaves a 50-foot birdie putt a good ten feet short on 7. Danger here, in the wake of the bogey at 6. But he gamely rattles in the par saver to remain in a share of the lead at -5.

Opening par for Patrick Cantlay at 1. Meanwhile up on 10, Sergio Garcia, wearing some retina-bothering bright red breeks, nearly holes out from the apron for eagle. The ball stubbornly refuses to drop, but he’ll be tapping in for an opening birdie that’ll take him up to -2, and … he couldn’t, could he? Far too early to go there, of course, and yet it’s very difficult not to start thinking about it.

Matsuyama shoots 66

Thomas Detry sends his tee shot at the long par-three 6th into the bunker on the left. He splashes out to ten feet, but can’t make the par saver, and that sole ownership of the lead didn’t last long.

-5: Detry (15*), Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (F), Åberg
-3: McIlroy (F), Pavon

The joint 18-hole leader Patrick Cantlay pegs up for the first time today. An iron down the right-hand side of the 1st fairway. Meanwhile up on the green, Tiger crisply chips up to a couple of feet, and tidies up for an opening par.

Here comes another man of the people: Tiger Woods. After yesterday’s 74, he needs something “solid and boring” at the very least if the three-time champ is to survive the cut. Not the greatest start, however, as his approach bounds off down a swale to the right of the 1st green. The mood music of his afternoon may depend on the success of the upcoming scramble.

Bryson DeChambeau talks to Sky. “I made a lot of birdies which I was proud of … the two par-threes on the front nine was stellar … the par-fives, one over par, pretty disappointed, if I can clean that up it’ll ease a lot of the other holes … give myself a little bit of a cushion … great iron play … making a lot of putts … freeing up is key … the fans are awesome … they’ve been super nice to me … it’s fun feeding off them … I love it … I’ve learned a lot about myself in general … focusing on what makes me a better not just golfer but person … how I can be more entertaining … how I can give the fans what they deserve … there’s been a lot of stuff in the past that’s happened and I’m looking to right the ship … it’s going to be an interesting test of golf … let’s play some solid, boring golf … if I can do that, I’ll give myself a great shot.”

A mass of contradictions, but then aren’t we all? Such a likeable player, and so much fun to watch. Also, I’m pretty sure what he considers “boring golf” is wild fun for the rest of us, so it promises to be a great weekend. As some dude opined the other week: a man for the people.

Thomas Detry creams a fairway wood into the heart of the par-five 5th from 265 yards to 30 feet. He can’t make the long eagle putt, but leaves himself a two-footer for birdie that gives the 31-year-old Belgian – who has yet to win on either the European or PGA Tour, but recently finished in a tie for fourth at the PGA – sole ownership of the lead at the US Open!

-6: Detry (14*)
-5: Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (F), Åberg
-3: McIlroy (F), Pavon

DeChambeau shoots 69

Rory McIlroy splashes out to ten feet, but his par effort is always drifting low to the left. That’s a 72, and he’s the new clubhouse leader at -3. Scottie Scheffler gets up and down from the sand, but that 75 will have him watching the afternoon play while keeping a nervous eye on that cutline. Chances are +5 should be enough … just … but nothing’s certain. Par for Xander Schuaffele too, and he signs for a 69. He’s -1 and despite not bringing his best stuff, is in good shape ahead of Moving Day.

Tyrrell Hatton ends the day with a one-over 71. Given his round threatened to spiral out of control towards the end – he was fuming after an awful ricochet off the flagstick at 13 turned possible eagle into bogey, which, with the mist descending, led to another dropped shot at 14 – but he’s parred his way home. And while he’s mooching off to the clubhouse muttering darkly, once he settles down he’ll be pretty happy with his position: in red figures after 36 holes at a US Open. He’s -1 and the joint clubhouse leader with Tom Kim.

Scottie Scheffler, who could really do with a birdie to finish with, joins Rory in the bunker. It doesn’t look as though he’s plugged, but a sandy save is surely non-negotiable if the world number one isn’t to spend the afternoon seriously fretting about the cut. Even if he scrambles his par, at +5 he’ll be doing that anyway, but you get the general thrust. “I was reminded by a talking head this morning that the USGA generally sets up the course to be less punitive on Thursday and Friday, because they have 156 golfers they have to get through,” writes Joe Pearson. “Once the cut is in place, they typically change it up to make it harder on Saturday and Sunday. So today is supposed to be one of the easy days! Madness (and I love it)!”

A 68 for Tom Kim. The 21-year-old South Korean is the early clubhouse leader at -1. Meanwhile trouble for Rory McIlroy at the very end of his round, the par-three 9th. His tee shot dunks into the sand guarding the front left, and plugs. A proper fried egg. Good luck with that. At least he’s got a bit of green to work with.

Robert MacIntyre signs for a 76. It’s probably not going to be enough to make the weekend, and he swishes his putter around in the air in frustration. He’ll always have Ontario. Meanwhile a brilliant 67 for Sam Bairstow; just a shame the 25-year-old from Sheffield carded a disastrous 84 yesterday. He finishes his week’s work here at +11, and while he won’t be around for the final two rounds, that’s salvaged a huge chunk of pride and the experience will stand him in good stead going forward.

A pretty straight 25-foot putt across 4 for Thomas Detry. A big chance to hit the lead out on his own, but he doesn’t hit it. Meanwhile the 2015 champion Jordan Spieth was slowly piecing together a round after birdies at 14, 17 and 5, but he can’t get up and down from greenside sand at 6, and his second bogey of the day drops him back to +1. Far from out of contention though. A long way to go on a course that isn’t going to get any easier today, or at the weekend.

Billy Horschel walks one in on 14. It’s his fourth birdie of the day, with just one bogey on his card. He’s back to level par for the tournament. After some time in the wilderness, Horschel tied for eighth at the PGA last month, only his second top-ten finish in the majors in a long career. His other: a tie for fourth at Merion in the 2013 US Open, where having led at the 36-hole mark, a final-day 74 scuppered his chances.

Scottie Scheffler desperately needs something. Anything. He nearly gets it on 7, but his 40-foot left-to-right drifter slips agonisingly by on the low side. He remains +5. Rory McIlroy also comes close with a birdie rake from distance, but he too has to settle for par. He’s in much better nick at -4. And finally Xander Schauffele, who pulled his tee shot into trouble down the left, grinds out a par to stay at -1.

-5: Detry (12*), Cantlay
-4: McIlroy (15*), Åberg
-3: DeChambeau (15), Pavon
-2: T Kim (16*), Matsuyama (14*), Pendrith (12*), Finau

Thomas Detry grabs himself a share of the lead! He drains a 25-footer across 3, and the 31-year-old Belgian joins Patrick Cantlay at -5. Meanwhile it’s three birdies in a row for Hideki Matsuyama, the latest at 5, and the Japanese superstar – who tied for second at Erin Hills in 2017, albeit a mile behind Brooks Koepka – moves into serious contention at -2.

The defending champion Wyndham Clark – out of sorts coming into the tournament – is fighting his way back into contention. After a disappointing 73 yesterday, he played the back nine this morning in one-over 36, but since turning has finally picked up some forward momentum. Birdies at 1, 3 and 5, and he’s +1 for the tournament. Barring some dramatic collapse, the champ will be here for the weekend. The chance of him becoming a consecutive winner in the style of Willie Anderson (1903, 1904, 1905), John J McDermott (1911, 1912), Bobby Jones (1929, 1930), Ralph Guldahl (1937, 1938), Ben Hogan (1950, 1951), Curtis Strange (1988, 1989) and Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018) looks unlikely … but you never know!

Rory McIlroy attempts to power a 7-iron into the long par-three 6th. His ball topples back off the front. A chip up to six feet and a confidently struck putt saves his par. It looks like Bryson DeChambeau has made a sandy par on 15, but having splashed out daintily to six feet, he lets the straight putt slide by. Back to -3. Meanwhile on 7, Tom Kim clips a delicious second from 150 yards to kick-in distance, and he’ll be moving to -2 in a couple of minutes.

Thomas Detry gets back to -4 with birdie at 1. There are only 17 players currently under par, and here they are.

-5: Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (14), McIlroy (14*), Detry (10*), Åberg
-3: Pavon
-2: Pendrith (11*), Finau
-1: Hatton (15), T Kim (15*), Schauffele (14*), Matsuyama (13*), SH Kim, Conners, Garcia, Bennett, Rai

The first bogey of the second round for Taylor Pendrith. He can’t get up and down from the apron at the front of the green, and drops back to -2. Back-to-back birdies meanwhile for Tom Kim, at 4 and 5, and he’s into red figures for the tournament at -1. And it’s consecutive birdies for Hideki Matsuyama too, at 3 and 4. Throw in birdie at 11, and no bogeys yet today, and the 2021 Masters champ is -1 as well.

Xander Schauffele can’t make his ten-foot bogey putt, and he slips back to -1. Finally it’s Rory McIlroy’s turn, and he pours in his putt to escape with par. That’ll feel good; he remains at -4. So yeah, the easiest hole yesterday; today it’s now ranked fourth-easiest. But look at what’s just happened to the three best players in the world according to the rankings! The moral of this story: probably not the best idea to attack the pin on 5 today. Whether that’s fair punishment for an aggressive approach that lands near the flag is a matter for debate. But it’s the US Open, and everyone knows the rules of engagement.

Scottie Scheffler elects to chip up from the side of 5. He leaves a tentative one well short. Rory McIlroy decides to putt. That’s short as well. Back to Scheffler, who can’t make the 12-footer he’s left with, and that’s a double-bogey seven. Suddenly the world number one is in serious danger of missing the halfway cut. He’s +5.

The three balls at 5 on grainy sand, surrounded by tufts of grass. A big bank up to the green. The flag only just up on the green. Short-sided. Scheffler up first. An uncertain prod. The ball rolls back to his feet. Schauffele then needs two attempts to lob up. Back to Scheffler, who flies the green, his ball down the slope on the other side. That’ll be a hell of a putt coming back. Finally McIlroy, who bumps and runs with a 7-iron … and sends his ball through the green and into Scheffler Country. What a complete fiasco, given all three approach shots landed on the green. The punishment all out of whack. For the first time this week, the commentary team on Sky question how fair this particular set-up is.

Problems for everyone at the par-five 5th, as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele all land their approaches on the left-hand side of the green. The camber takes their balls, one by one, down a slope and into a patch of scrub. Scheffler and McIlroy there in two, Schauffele in three. All with work to do. Meanwhile it’s beginning to unravel for Tyrrell Hatton, who makes his third bogey in four holes, the latest on 14. That awful slice of luck on 13 has finally sparked the fume. He’d been doing so well to keep the lid from clattering, too. He’s -1.

Taylor Pendrith is the hottest property out on the course today. He sends a forensic iron into 1, tidies up from six feet … and the US Open has never had a champion from Canada, you know. Meanwhile on 13, Bryson DeChambeau isn’t going to follow birdie with bogey for the third time today; instead he finds the heart of the green, then teases in a downhill 25-footer that glides left to right, briefly looks like missing on the left, but catches enough of the hole to topple in. Back-to-back birdies this time! The crowd roar for one of the most popular players out there. He’s on the march!

-5: Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (13), McIlroy (13*), Åberg
-3: Schauffele (13*), Pendrith (10*), Detry (9), Pavon

Tyrrell Hatton’s ball on 13 ended up in a greenside bunker. He splashes out to six feet, but can’t save his par. A bogey, when he was millimetres away from slam-dunking for eagle. That’s dreadful luck. That’s also the US Open for you. He slips back to -2. Meanwhile on 5, Xander Schauffele manufactures a low hook out of the trees and into the centre of the fairway, from where he’ll be able to take a shy for the green. A birdie at this par five still not out of the question! Some things are worth waiting for, I guess.

The par-five 5th is playing the easiest on the course. A big chance to gain on the field. So what you don’t want to do is pull your tee shot into the trees on the left. That’s what Xander Schauffele does, his ball springing back off a trunk, only 170 yards up the hole. He hits a provisional, but there’s really no need as his ball is in the clear on the pine straw. Schauffele doesn’t half take his time, and it turns out his, eh, methodical approach is causing a bit of a traffic jam, so much so that the group were on the clock for a while. Be more Brooks, kids.

Bryson DeChambeau sticks his approach at 12 pin high to 18 feet. He walks in the putt and raises a fist into the air. Back to level par for his round and -3 for the tournament. His last two birdies have been followed by bogeys on the very next hole. Surely he can’t keep doing that? You’d surely expect him to snap that run, with a short par-four coming up.

An awful stroke of luck for Tyrrell Hatton on 13. He very nearly slam-dunks his wedge from 70 yards, in the style of Mark Calcavecchia at the 1989 Open. But the ball bounces backwards, thanks to a combination of the back of the cup and the flagstick. Off the front of the green it goes. Inches away for eagle; now he’s got work to do if he’s to save par. Shades of what happened to Sepp Straka earlier. Given Straka’s later ace, Hatton is entitled to ask the golfing gods when he’s getting a hole in one.

Another birdie for Taylor Pendrith. This one comes on 18, and he turns in 32 strokes, not a blemish on his card. He’s -2.

Another Rory McIlroy putt stops agonisingly on the lip. The one at 1 was tentative to the point of careless; this one is extremely unfortunate, a 40-foot left-to-right curler that was about half a joule of energy short of making it. So close to consecutive birdies. He remains at -4. But there’s a worse form of frustration for Scottie Scheffler, who aims an arrow from 220 yards pin high to six feet, only to miss the putt wide right. It’s just not happening this week for the world number one and pre-tournament favourite. You can now get 25s on him with some turf accountancy firms; Rory is the new bookies’ favourite. Meanwhile a bounce-back birdie for Tyrrell Hatton at 12.

Tommy Fleetwood’s nightmare Friday continues apace. He follows up bogey at 10 with another at 11; that’s four in five holes. He slips to +4, outside the current projected cutline. Chances are that will move out as the day develops, but Southport’s finest is treading a fine line here. Bob MacIntyre is also flirting with another weekend off; having bogeyed 4 and 5, he again made back-to-back bogeys at 8 and 9, turning in 39 strikes. But he’s since birdied 10 and is battling, an inch or two away from making another at 12. He’s +3 for both round and tournament.

A third birdie in four holes for Xander Schauffele. This one is the result of aiming a dart at the short par-four 3rd to five feet. He’s now -3, but still a shot behind Rory McIlroy, who cards his first birdie of the day by wedging from 150 yards to four feet and making a putt at last. Bogey meanwhile for Tyrrell Hatton at 11.

-5: Cantlay
-4: McIlroy (12*), Åberg
-3: Schauffele (12*), Detry (6*), Pavon
-2: Hatton (11), DeChambeau (10), Finau

Bryson DeChambeau is always in trouble at the par-five 10th, having sent his tee shot into the scrub down the right. He squirts his second into a bunker on the other side of the fairway, then his third disappears down the back of the green. He can’t get up and down, and for the second time today, he follows birdie by immediately handing the shot back to the field. It could have been even more painful, too, as he only just made a four-foot bogey putt, the left-hand side of the cup grabbing a slightly nervy effort. He’s -2.

Xander Schauffele is gathering some real momentum. He walks in a 15-footer on 2 and that’s his fourth birdie in eight holes. What a response to that bogey-bogey start. He’s -2. Meanwhile birdies at 11 and 14 for Taylor Pendrith; the 33-year-old Canadian has no record of note in any of the majors, though he did win his first PGA Tour event last month at the Byron Nelson. He’s -1 for the tournament.

Hole-in-one for Sepp Straka!

Bryson DeChambeau builds on the par save at 8 with a superb birdie at the par-three 9th. A tee shot to five feet, and in goes the putt. He’s back up to -3, which is the mark of choice for the morning wave right now.

-5: Cantlay
-4: Åberg
-3: McIlroy (10*), Hatton (9), DeChambeau (9), Detry (5*), Pavon

Frustration also for Thomas Detry, who sends his second at 14 wide right of the green, then fails to get up and on with a Texas wedge. His putt topples back down to his feet. His second effort, while much better, still stops 12 feet short, but he gathers himself well to tidy that up and limit the damage to bogey. Frustration turning to slight relief there; that threatened to spiral out of control. He’s -3.

Xander Schauffele watches in horror as he lands his approach at 1 pin high, four feet to the left, only for the ball to bite, roll back, and scamper off the front of the green. There goes a birdie opportunity. He does his best to match Rory McIlroy’s post-de-green chip on 17, but must make do with par. He remains at -1. Scottie Scheffler meanwhile leaves himself a ten-foot uphill birdie putt, but doesn’t hit it. Never up and in, and that’s just a par. And it’s par too for Rory McIlroy, who having sent his approach over the flag to eight feet, but perhaps with that de-green in mind, is overly conservative with his tickle down, and the putt stops on the lip. Frustrating, and Pinehurst has done a number on everyone there. “I know it will probably move up some more, but top 60 and ties is currently +3,” observes Joe Pearson. “So the following players are right on the cut line: Scheffler, Homa, Young, Burns, and Fitzpatrick. Yikes!”