PINEHURST, N.C. — Pinehurst No. 2 gave players fits on Friday — some more than others. The course played firm and fast on a hot day. Balls were on the green and then they weren’t. Lip outs and three jacks and all the misery typically associated with a U.S. Open. There won’t be any 62s this week at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, that’s for sure.
But first some of the heroics. Italy’s Francesco Molinari made an ace at No. 9, his final hole of his second round to go from outside the cutline to making the weekend.
“That’s what I was trying to do. It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend. I saw we were still 61st, so hopefully we can sneak in the cut,” Molinari said. “Yeah, that’s golf in a nutshell.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau, that’s never happened before in a U.S. Open. Special stuff.
How about Xander Schauffele, the reigning PGA Championship winner, who shot 69 to finish at 1-under 139 and inside the top 10. It also extended his PGA Tour-leading streak of made cuts to 49, matching Steve Stricker for the longest such streak since Tiger Woods set the mark with 142.
It took 5-over 145 to be among the 74 players to make the cut. Four amateurs advanced to the weekend: Neal Shipley, Luke Clanton, Bryan Kim, and Gunnar Broin. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler survived on the number, shooting 4-over 74 on Day Two.
But a bunch of big names were on the wrong side of the cutline and were trunk-slamming on Friday.
U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | Hole-by-hole | How to watch | Flyovers