Does the PGA Championship need a new identity?
Jesse Droemer's injury-riddled journey back to professional golf
The PGA Championship boasts one of the strongest fields. This year is no exception with 49 of the top 50 players in the official world golf rankings teeing it up at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. There will also be 20 PGA of America Golf Professionals competing this week including Jesse Droemer, who has overcome a lot in his life to be competing in his second career PGA Championship.
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Former LSU golfer leads U.S. Open after two rounds
Former LSU golfer leads U.S. Open after two rounds A former LSU golfer is sitting in pole position at the U.S. Open. Sam Burns shot a -5 in Round 2 at Oakmont after posting a +2 in Round 1. After two rounds, Burns -3 is enough for a sole lead. Burns is one of just three players under par, joined by fellow American J.J. Spaun and Norway's Viktor Hovland. Burns, 28, is seeking his first major victory. Burns' second round was highlighted by two birdies on the front nine. He bogeyed his 10th hole of the day, but recovered with a birdie on No. 11. Burns birdied again two holes later before finishing the day with five consecutive pars. With three top 10 finishes in 2025, Burns has been playing good golf. The Shreveport, LA native is one of the best putters on tour. Burns played two years at LSU before turning pro in 2017. As a sophomore, Burns was named the top player in college golf and won the NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year award. He won SEC Player of the Year, too. The U.S. Open is known for its tough courses. Oakmont hasn't been kind to golfers so far, but Burns seems to enjoy the event. His best major finish to date came at the 2024 U.S. Open, where he finished tied for ninth. His second best major finish came in this year's PGA Championship, tied for 19th. Burns' Saturday tee time is set for 2:35 p.m. CT.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
2025 U.S. Open updates: Sam Burns leads; was this Phil's last ride?
USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. The 2025 U.S. Open is (almost) through two rounds at Oakmont Country Club, the highest-ranked private course in Pennsylvania on the Golfweek's Best state-by-state list. So far, fans have seen some high scores, crazy shots and an all-time putting performance. If you want leaderboard updates, scores, tee times, highlights and more from the second round, you've come to the right spot. U.S. Open 2025 leaderboard Here is the U.S. Open leaderboard. This is what the top of the leaderboard looks at the end of the day. Pos. Name Score Hole 1 Sam Burns -3 F* 2 J.J. Spaun -2 F 3 Viktor Hovland -1 F* T4 Adam Scott E F T4 Ben Griffin E F And then there were three, as in, there are only three golfers in the 156-man field currently under par. Second round at U.S. Open suspended with 13 golfers on the course It had been raining for about an hour but then some electricity moved into the area around Oakmont Country Club, and the USGA blew the horn with 13 golfers on the course. Noah Kent and Thorbjorn Olesen managed to finish but the third member of that threesome, Thriston Lawrence, had a four-footer left for par when the action was called. He pleaded his case to putt but he'll have to come back Saturday morning to officially finish his second round. Phil Mickelson comes up short of making the cut. Was this his last U.S. Open? Lefty needed a birdie on 18 for a 73 and get to 7 under to make the cut but he slid his putt by on the right side, barely missing and having to settle for par. This could be his final U.S. Open. His five-year exemption from winning the 2021 PGA Championship expired this year. Advertisement These are some of the Mickelson numbers at the U.S. Open: Most U.S. Open appearances 44, Jack Nicklaus (1957-2000) 35, Phil Mickelson (1990-2025) Most U.S. Open rounds 160, Jack Nicklaus (1957-2000) 120, Hale Irwin (1966-2003) 120, Phil Mickelson (1990-2025) Most times runner-up at U.S. Open 6, (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013) Rory McIlroy venting frustrations at U.S. Open Rory McIlroy was not having the best time Friday at Oakmont. On the 12th hole, after a not-so-great shot, he tomahawked his club down the fairway. About an hour later on the 17th hole, after not being happy with his tee shot, the smashed a U.S. Open tee box marker in half. Sam Burns posts strong 5-under 65 on Friday at Oakmont Burns has the clubhouse lead after signing for an amazingly low 65 in the second round of the U.S. Open. He's at 3 under overall, tied with J.J. Spaun, who is on his back nine. Sam Burns plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. How tough is Oakmont playing Friday at the U.S. Open? You can always count on golf stat guru Justin Ray. Check this out: What's the weather forecast for U.S. Open? They've mentioned it on the NBC telecast already but weather is beginning to become a possible storyline at Oakmont. Advertisement Weather warnings were displayed just after 3 p.m. ET on Friday, urging fans to be prepared to take shelter or return to their cars if need be. As of 4 p.m. ET, though, players were still out on the golf course. 2025 U.S. Open weather updates: Keep tabs on the conditions at Oakmont How is the high school golfer Mason Howell doing at U.S. Open? Howell, 17, will be a senior this fall and a year after that is expected to join Georgia's college golf team. For now, he's the youngest competitor in the 2025 U.S. Open. How's he doing? Follow USA Today's live tracker. Thriston Lawrence takes outright lead at U.S. Open Thriston (pronounced Tristan) Lawrence is 3 under through four holes and has it to 6 under ovaerall to give him the outright lead. He opened with a par (starting on the 10th hole) and then made back-to-back birdies. Thriston Lawrence and his caddie line up a shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Several of world's best golfers in danger of missing the cut at the U.S. Open Oakmont is racking up victims. Advertisement World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is narrowly inside the cutline at 4 over, but there are several others among the best in the world rankings that could be sent home early. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is the most notable of that group. After a 4-over 74 on Thursday, McIlroy stumbled out of the gate Friday, big time, making double bogeys on the first and third holes. He's 8 over, three shots off the 5-over cutline as of 2:40 p.m. ET. World No. 5 Justin Thomas is certain to be done after today, going 76-76 to finish the first two rounds at 12 over. World No. 12 Shane Lowry is suffering the same fate. He's 4 over through just three holes on Friday, and 13 over for the championship. Click here to see our live cut tracker. Sam Burns cards 65 to take early clubhouse lead on Friday at the U.S. Open Sam Burns is less than a week removed from losing a marathon playoff in the 2025 RBC Canadian Open. The 28-year-old from Louisiana finished 18 under and finished second to Ryan Fox, who beat him in four extra holes. Advertisement While probably disappointed in last week's result, Burns is carrying that stellar play into Oakmont, following up a first-round 72 with a 5-under 65 on Friday. Burns made six birdies and just one bogey and will head into the weekend likely in firm contention at 3 under. Victor Perez makes the first ace at the 2025 U.S. Open On Thursday, Patrick Reed's albatross dominated headlines as the best shot of the day. But France's Victor Perez has an early entry for shot of the day on Friday, and it's going to be tough to beat. Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-3 sixth during his second round at Oakmont, which was playing 192 yards. What's the weather at Oakmont? Weather forecasts are according to the Weather Channel: Advertisement Friday, June 13: Mostly cloudy with PM showers, 40% chance of rain in the morning, 6 mph winds to the southeast; High: 80, Low : 66 Saturday, June 14: Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon, 5 mph winds to the south-southwest; High: 73, Low: 66 Sunday, June 15: Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon, 5 mph winds to the east-southeast; High: 78, Low: 65 A view of a golf club on the second tee box during a practice round ahead of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Where and how to watch the U.S. Open Second round, 6:30 a.m. ET to 5 p.m. ET, Peacock Second round featured groups, 7 a.m. ET to 1 p.m., USGA App, DirecTV, YouTube TV Second round, 1 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock Second round, 7 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET, Peacock Second round, 3 p.m. ET to 8 p.m., Sirius XM Radio Live from the U.S. Open, 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET, Golf Channel See the complete TV and streaming lineup for the entire week here. How is this U.S. Open stacking up? As of 11:30 a.m., there are eight players under par at Oakmont. How does that stack up to previous Opens at the course? Viktor Hovland makes an eagle to get to 3 under After Brooks Koepka (see below) chipped in for birdie on No. 17, Viktor Hovland went one better with this fantastic chip-in for eagle, which put him at 3 under for the championship. Brooks Koepka posts three birdies on first eight holes It was an up-and-down morning for Brooks Koepka, who snapped a streak of 28 consecutive major championship rounds in which he finished outside the top 10 on the leaderboard when he shot a 68 on Thursday. Advertisement On Friday, Koepka opened with a bogey, then followed with consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 (he started on the back) and then added another bogey on No. 14. He then chipped in from the fringe on No. 17, however, to get back to 3 under for the championship. He made a bogey on 18, however, to fall back to 2 under. Here are Friday's hole locations Here's where the holes are at Oakmont for the second round of play. What's the projected cutline at the U.S. Open? The USGA, which runs the championship, set the cut for the low 60 and ties. After Thursday's first round, that would make the projected cutline 3 over. That would put these guys in jeopardy with 18 holes to play Friday. Pos. Golfer Score T49 Hideki Matsuyama 4 over T49 Matt Fitzpatrick 4 over T49 Wyndham Clark 4 over T49 Rory McIlroy 4 over T79 Joaquin Niemann 5 over T98 Patrick Cantlay 6 over T98 Justin Thomas 6 over T98 Jason Day 6 over T119 Justin Rose 7 over T133 Shane Lowry 9 over Who won the U.S. Open the last time it was at Oakmont? That would be Dustin Johnson in 2016. This is the 10th U.S. Open at Oakmont, the most of any golf course. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: US Open 2025 live updates: Sam Burns shoots 65, leads at Oakmont
Hamilton Spectator
13 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Late miscues cost Phil Mickelson a shot at the weekend in his 34th — and maybe last — US Open
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — By the time Phil Mickelson reached the 18th green at Oakmont on Friday evening, the once-packed grandstand was maybe a quarter-full. Same for the luxury suites. There was no grand gesture as the 54-year-old Mickelson loped up the hill. No wave to the crowd the way Arnold Palmer did in the same spot on the same course 31 years ago. No lengthy standing ovation from the gallery in return either. The man whose decades-long pursuit of the U.S. Open made him a fan favorite in his prime — not unlike Palmer in some ways — instead quietly marked his ball 16 feet from the hole, then walked over to the far edge of the green and stared at the leaderboard that glowed in the rainy twilight. A birdie would have let Mickelson stick around for the weekend at his 34th — and perhaps last — trip to the national championship. Wearing a white hat featuring the logo of his LIV Golf team, the HyFlyers GC, Mickelson stood over the line trying to get the right read. When the putt slid a foot left of the hole to keep Mickelson one outside the cut at plus-8, a small groan arose from those who stuck around. There was a shout or two of 'We love you Phil!' Along the railing, a man leaned toward a friend and said, 'His exemption is done. No more U.S. Open for you Phil.' Maybe, maybe not. The five-year exemption into the tournament that Mickelson received when he captured the 2021 PGA Championship is expiring. Whether he'll be back to make a run at the one major that has eluded him is anyone's guess. Mickelson sure isn't saying. He politely declined to talk to reporters after emerging from the scoring area, disappearing into the clubhouse and an uncertain future at a tournament where he's been a runner-up six times. There are a number of ways for Mickelson to make it to Shinnecock next June. The USGA could offer him an exemption, as it did at Torrey Pines in 2020, though that doesn't appear to be USGA chief championship officer John Bodenhamer's first choice. 'I think the way that we would also think of Phil is we hope he earns his way in, and I think he'd tell you the same thing,' Bodenhamer said Wednesday. 'That's what he did last time. We gave him one and then he went out and won the PGA Championship. So wouldn't put it past him.' Mickelson became the oldest major champion ever when he triumphed at Kiawah in 2021 at age 50. A lot has happened since then. Both on the course and off it. The man known universally as 'Lefty' played a major role in LIV Golf's rise, a move that has taken a bit of the shine off of his popularity back home. And while Mickelson's game can still show flashes — he really did knock a sideways flop shot into the hole during a LIV event last week in Virginia — and he looks fitter now than he did two decades ago, the reality is the swashbuckling approach that once endeared him to so many doesn't work that much anymore at the U.S. Open. Mickelson appeared to be in solid position to play the weekend when he stood on the 15th tee. He even on the day and 4 over for the tournament, well inside the cutline. A tee shot into the ankle deep rough at the 489-yard par 4 led to double bogey. He still seemed to be OK when he got to 17, a short uphill par 4. His tee shot sailed into the rough above a greenside bunker. There would be no magic this time. His attempted flop splashed into the sand instead. He blasted out to 25 feet and three-putted for another double bogey. That put him in a position he's been familiar with for a long time: heading to 18 at the U.S. Open needing to make a birdie of consequence. It didn't happen. And as he disappeared into the clubhouse, along with it came the realization that at this point, it likely never will. ___ AP golf:
