Bryson DeChambeau birdied the final hole to take the clubhouse lead midway through the second round of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
The American shot a one-under 69 to move to four under par, one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy, who finished with a 72 and was three under par.
DeChambeau had six birdies but was briefly surpassed by Thomas Detry, who bogeyed two of his final three holes to finish tied with the American at four under par.
McIlroy fought hard and tied for the overnight lead with Patrick Cantlay at five under par.
Cantlay is among the players making a delayed start on Friday, along with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who resumes at four under par.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler had a predictably poor round of 5-over 74 and is in danger of missing the cut for the first time since August 2022.
So far, tournament organizers have watered the course between rounds, but notoriously No. 2 Pinehurst has yet to fully show its fangs in the 124th U.S. Open.
But don’t underestimate the mental challenge this course poses: it has hosted this championship three times and only four players have finished under par.
After shooting 71 on Friday to move to one under par, England’s Tyrrell Hatton explained that what’s going on in his head during the round is “screaming on the inside most of the time.”
DeChambeau has been a regular contender for top spots in major tournaments this year, including a tie for sixth at the Masters and second place at last month’s PGA Championship.
He had just one bogey during Thursday’s round, but Friday’s featured some great long putts, passionate fist pumps and some mayhem, much to the delight of the large crowds who followed his play.
“I’m looking forward to the test and the challenge,” said DeChambeau, who had five birdies and four bogeys for a 69. “It’s going to be changing, especially with the warm temperatures. If the wind picks up, it’s going to be tough.”
Scheffler struggles, McIlroy perseveres
The last time McIlroy started the first day of the U.S. Open without a bogey was when he won the Congressional in 2011, and his clean sheet in Thursday’s opening round put him in a tie for the lead in the early rankings.
He described the first day as a “controlled round of golf” but appeared to lose control by the time he finished the round at 2 over par, missing a putt straight off the green on the 17th hole (the 8th hole) and holing in a chip shot to save par.
It energized him on the turn, and he finally drilled a 7-foot putt on the third hole for his first birdie, showing off a superb approach to the green.
He then made a brave par on the fifth hole to stay at four under, but a bogey on the final hole dropped him to a tie for third.
“I tried really hard to keep some mistakes off the scorecard,” McIlroy said. “I wish I’d taken advantage of a few more chances, but I hit the ball pretty well and had a lot of chances.”
“But still, I’m in a great position heading into the weekend.”
He finished the second round eight strokes behind playing partner Scheffler, who was coming off another poor round of golf and will sit out a tournament weekend for the first time in nearly two years.
Before Friday, he had never played a round without a birdie in a major championship, but he couldn’t bounce back after a disappointing round of 74.
The usually calm and collected world number one also had a brief outburst of anger, throwing his putter after missing par.
His shaky play was summed up by a dreaded double bogey on the fifth hole, after he needed two attempts to get out of the sandy scrub area.
World No. 2 Xander Schauffele, who won his first major title last month at the PGA Championship, had a similar struggle on the sand at the fifth hole, stalling what looked to be a fast round and finishing at 1 under par.
Hatton also moved into the top five with the same score, but three bogeys in the final nine holes halted his progress.
Fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Scotland’s Robert McIntyre are at five and six over par respectively and will be keeping a close eye on the late action of the top 60 players who advanced into the weekend.
And the crowning glory of today’s chaotic round went to Sepp Straka, who made an unlucky triple-bogey seven on the third hole when his ball hit the pin and bounced into a bunker.
But the Austrian got his first hole-in-one of the tournament on the par-three ninth hole and finished two-over par with a 72, high-fiving everyone in sight.