Wyndham Clark one out of the half lead and Rory McIlroy two strokes back in third at LA Country Club; Rickie Fowler birdied 18 of his first 36 holes, a US Open record, to hold half the lead; Watch live Saturday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf
By Ali Stafford
Rickie Fowler has a one-shot lead at the US Open half
Rickie Fowler overcame a wild second round to take a one-shot weekend lead at the US Open, as Rory McIlroy entered contention in Los Angeles.
Fowler followed up on Thursday’s record 62 by posting just four pars during a second-round 68 at Los Angeles Country Club, mixing eight birdies with six bogeys to move to 10 under par and equaling the US Open 36-hole scoring record.
The five-time PGA Tour winner tops the leaderboard ahead of Wyndham Clark, who set the initial clubhouse target after a three-under 67, while McIlroy is just two shots behind and in third while is chasing a first major victory since 2014.
McIlroy birdied four of his five holes to shoot a 67 in round two, while Xander Schauffele, who joined Fowler in creating a major story on opening day, birdied his last two holes to salvage a par. 70 and join the number 3 in the world. in third tied.
Fowler has half lead in Los Angeles
Schauffele and Fowler maintained a two-shot cushion after opening day, where they posted the lowest rounds in US Open history, a low nine.
Fowler scrambled up and down from a greenside bunker to capitalize on the first par-five and begin a streak of three consecutive birdies, briefly taking him two ahead and bringing him to 11-under faster than any player in US Open history.
The American hit a poor tee shot after a long wait on the fourth tee, resulting in a first bogey of his round, then canceled a 10-foot birdie in the sixth with three shots from long range in the next. .
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Schauffele opened with five straight par before unraveling a five-foot birdie on the sixth by also making three shots on the next, his first dropped shot of the week, and both players made shots on the par-five eighth.
Fowler went into turn two ahead, but fell back into a three-way tie when he posted back-to-back bogeys from 10th, and the rollercoaster round of world number 45 saw him drain a 20-foot birdie at 12 per ahead of him three -putting long-range on the next.
Schauffele slid down the leaderboard with three straight bogeys from the 13th, while Fowler rolled from eight feet on the 15th and answered a dropped shot on the next with a birdie on the 17th to restore a one-shot lead. .
Fowler then made a pair of two-putters on the latter to remain at 10-under, with the 130 shots made over the first two days tying Martin Kaymer’s record-low total en route to a 2014 victory at Pinehurst.
“We’ll try to clean up some of that,” Fowler said. “The birdies are out there if you get in the right position, but as you can see, the bogeys are very easy to do!”
Schauffele responded to his nine-hole wobble by birdieing his last two holes and returning to eight under par, with McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champion, also on that total after nearly making a hole-in-one on his final hole of the day. .
Harris English sits fifth ahead of Min Woo Lee and Dustin Johnson, who recovered from a quadruple bogey on the second par-four to salvage a par 70 and start the weekend at six under par, with the world number 1 , Scottie Scheffler. five from half the lead after a 68, two under par.
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick shot the third hole-in-one of the week at the par three 15 on his way to a level par 70, while world number 2 Jon Rahm snuck into the weekend at the mark of cut after finishing a three. 73+ with four bogeys over his last eight holes.
Who will win the US Open 123? Watch the whole weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf and 10pm on Sky Sports Main Event.
