LOS ANGELES — When co-leader Rickie Fowler birdied his opening three holes on Friday, it seemed as if we were in for another getable day at the 2023 U.S. Open.
But during the afternoon at Los Angeles Country Club, the sun came out, the winds picked up and brought the scores with it. On Thursday, 55 players were even par or better. That number dropped to 41 on Friday, with an average score of 72.22, 0.84 more than Thursday’s record low of 71.38.
A handful of would-be first-time major champs are near the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes in Beverly Hills. Fowler strung together another solid round at 2-under 68 and sits alone in the lead at 10 under, one shot clear of Wyndham Clark (67). Sitting T-3 at 8 under are Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, with Harris English rounding out the top five at 7 under.
From Fowler’s peaks and valleys round to a lacking atmosphere and notable names on their way home, here’s what you missed from a busy Friday at the 2023 U.S. Open.