“In a great position going into the weekend”, said McIlroy. McIlroy -3 is only two shots behind -5 leader Ludvig Aberg
Pinehurst number two in North Carolina started to become extremely firm as day two stroke average was 73. Managing to keep your ball on the green was a extremely difficult task on Friday and will be a challenge on Saturday & Sunday as putting surfaces are only 6,500 feet. Friday was memorable for both Sepp Straka and Francesco Molinari as both achieved a hole in one at the 194 yard ninth hole. 74 players made the halfway cut on +5 including Matt Fitzpatrick, Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Tom McKibbin, Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood. Pinehurst got the better of major champions Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas on Thursday & Friday as all missed halfway cut.
Ludvig Aberg-4 played his second round at 06:36pm Irish time with -2 Tony Finau and Johnson. Aberg achieved birdies at the second and fifth hole to reach -6 and lead US Open. The Swedish star missed his first fairway in two days at eight resulting in a bogey and dropped back to -5. Aberg achieved his third birdie of day two at 12 to return -6. Aberg dropped another shot at 16 but finished with two pars and leads US Open on -5. Aberg is only a professional golfer since June 2023 and has already won on DP World Tour, PGA Tour, played in 2023 Ryder Cup, finished runner-up at The Masters and is currently 36 hole leader of US Open.
Day one -5 leader Patrick Cantlay took advantage of a fantastic tee shot at 222 yard sixth hole to reach -6. Cantlay made a couple of unforced errors on the back nine with dropping shots at 12 and 16. Cantlay is looking for his first individual win since 2022 BMW Championship and will start Saturday’s round -4. Bryson DeChambeau -2 played early on Friday and the highlight of his round was birdies at extremely difficult par three sixth and ninth hole. DeChambeau -4 will play in Saturday’s final group at 08:35PM Irish time with Aberg. DeChambeau has opened up with two rounds in the 60s and this also happened at Wing Foot in 2020 where he went onto win his first major.
Thomas Detry -4 and The highlight of his second round was making three birdies in a row at the 11th, 12th and 13th hole. Finau is currently -3 and is looking to win his first tournament since 2023 Mexico Open. Rory McIlroy -5 played his second round with Scheffler and Xander Schauffele starting at the 10th hole. McIlroy remarkably hit his birdie putt off the green at 17 but chipped in for par and avoided a +3 front nine. The 2011 US Open champion achieved his first birdie of Friday at three but finished his round with a bogey to shoot +2. McIlroy -3 hit 13 fairways on Friday and just needs to get rid of a left wedge shot.