Harmon: Masters is easiest major to prepare for
Butch Harmon knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in The Masters. He joins Golf Today to explain why it's the easiest major to prepare for, Rory McIlroy trending up before Augusta, Viktor Hovland and more.
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Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Burns leads as Scheffler and McIlroy make US Open cut
US Open round two leaderboard -3 Burns (US); -2 Spaun (US); -1 Hovland (Nor), E Scott (Aus), Griffin (US); +1 Perez (Fra), Lawrence (RSA); +2 Koepka (US), Henley (US), Detry (Bel), SW Kim (Kor) Selected: +3 Hatton (Eng); +4 MacIntyre (Sco), Scheffler (US), Morikawa (US), Rahm (Spa), Rai (Eng); +5 Spieth (US); +6 McIlroy (NI), Wallace (Eng), Schauffele (US); +7 Canter (Eng), Fitzpatrick (Eng) Advertisement Cut: +8 Aberg (Swe); +9 Fleetwood (Eng); +10 Thomas (US); +14 Rose (Eng); +17 Lowry (Ire) Full leaderboard America's Sam Burns hit a sensational five-under 65 to seize the lead on three under on an attritional second day at the US Open. Only three players out of a field of 156 are under par at the halfway stage with Burns making six birdies and just one bogey in a morning round that looked better as the day progressed. Overnight leader JJ Spaun, who was the only player to go bogey-free in round one, hit a two-over 72 and is second on two under, while Norway's Viktor Hovland is one under after a 68. Advertisement The glacial pace of play and arrival of a late storm meant 13 players were unable to complete their second rounds and will return to do so on Saturday. The world's top two players Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy were among those battling to make the weekend and both did enough to make the cut, which is projected to be seven over and will see the top 60 and ties play the final two rounds. US PGA Championship winner Scheffler scrapped to a 71, mixing four birdies with five bogeys to finish on four over par, seven shots off the lead. "With the way I was hitting it, it was easily a day I could have been going home and I battled pretty hard to stay in there," he said. Advertisement "Around this golf course, I don't think by any means I'm out of the tournament." As for McIlroy, he recovered from a nightmare start where he double-bogeyed two of his first three holes to shoot a 72, birdieing the last to finish at six over par. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau is heading home though after a round that included eight bogeys and a double bogey left him 10 over. More problems for world's top two on difficult Friday Three wins in his past four starts had seen Scheffler installed as clear favourite to add the US Open to his growing collection of major titles. Advertisement But this tournament cares little for reputation – and the world's top ranked player has not won it since Tiger Woods in 2008. Scheffler, who started at three over, holed a 20-foot birdie putt at his first (the 10th). But his day started to unravel with three bogeys in five holes. He found a bounce-back birdie at the second (his 11th) but smashed his club on the ground in frustration after driving his ball into the huge 'Church Pews' bunker down the left of the third fairway. So often admired for his relaxed composure, it was a further sign all was not right with the Olympic champion's game. Advertisement However he did find birdies at the fourth and sixth in order to shoot one over par for his round, a score beaten by only 12 other players, before heading to the range for two hours to practice. As for McIlroy, after plummeting to eight over par after just three holes, he flirted with the cut line for the rest of his round, draining a 32-foot birdie putt on Oakmont's hardest hole, the ninth, to stay afloat. Another birdie from 20 feet at the 15th inched him to seven over par but frustration was never far away. He threw a club in anger on the 12th fairway and after a ragged drive at the 17th, he destroyed a tee marker. But he made a three at the last, allowing a relieved smile to pass his lips, although he again bypassed speaking to the media. Burns and Hovland make bid for first major title While the field toiled on a day for golfing purists, Burns proved Oakmont could be tamed by making a mockery of its grisly challenge. Advertisement Sensational from tee to green, he actually missed decent opportunities down the stretch to add to his 11 birdies over the first two rounds before holing a 22-foot putt to save par at the final hole. If he continues with his usually reliable putting stroke - he is first on the PGA Tour this season for strokes gained on the greens - he will be well placed to fight for his maiden major title. Another in that bracket is Hovland who, playing alongside Scheffler, lit up the front nine with some excellent iron play. Ranked first for strokes gained around the green in round two, the 2023 Tour Championship winner reached three under with a majestic 55-foot chipped eagle from the rough on the 17th (his eighth). Advertisement A slightly erratic back nine that featured two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey saw him post a 68. South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, who stormed two shots clear on six under after three successive birdies early in his round, followed that with a run of six bogeys and a double bogey across nine holes as he dropped back to one over. And just as he was standing over a four-foot par putt on his last hole, six hours and six minutes after he teed off, the horn sounded to suspend play. 'One of stupidest things I've done' - Oakmont rattles leading lights Two-time US Open champion Brooks Koepka has shown glimpses of his impressive major-winning credentials but was scrappy in a round of 74 to drop to two over par. Advertisement Two shots further behind, the 2021 champion Jon Rahm saw his challenge falter, having impressed on day one. Starting the round three off the lead, he followed three bogeys on his first nine with a penal double bogey at the 12th to drop to four over par, with his sole birdie arriving at the fourth. To compound his frustration, he saw a series of birdie chances slide by during his closing holes before a bogey at the last left him seven shots off the lead. "I'm too mad to put it into perspective," he said afterwards. At least Rahm made the cut. DeChambeau was a shadow of the player who stormed to victory at Pinehurst last June as his title defence faded with a whimper. Advertisement Sweden's Ludvig Aberg and England's Tommy Fleetwood are also heading home, finishing at eight over and nine over respectively. And Ireland's Shane Lowry closed on 17 over par, after a round which featured a penalty shot for picking up his ball without marking it on the 14th green. "Maybe my mind was somewhere else," laughed Lowry when recounting the bizarre incident to BBC Sport. "It's one of the stupidest things I've done." Six-time runner-up Phil Mickelson, who suggested this may be his last US Open, missed a birdie putt on the last to to end up on the wrong side of the cut line. Advertisement Meanwhile, France's Victor Perez had a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth and a triple-bogey eight in a level-par 70 that kept him at one over and inside the top 10.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Woeful start for McIlroy
Burns shot a 65 to gain a one-stroke lead over J.J. Spaun with only Viktor Hovland joining them under par as familiar faces struggled Getty Images Sam Burns' sterling score of 65 highlighted Round 2 of the 2025 U.S. Open at Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club. Burns shot a second-round 65, and at 3 under, he has a one-shot lead over first-round leader J.J. Spaun. Viktor Hovland is at 1 under. No other players are under par, thanks to late second-round collapses from Thriston Lawrence and Thomas Detry, among others. Several more prominent golfers continued struggle with the challenging course at Oakmont. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is at 4-over-par, seven strokes back of the lead. Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion who nearly won this event last year, barely made the cut. Bryson DeChambeau, who edged out McIlroy to win the 2024 U.S. Open, missed the cut entirely. Some heavy downpours in the evening forced the horn to sound at roughly 8:15 p.m. ET with a few golfers still on the course, just finishing up their last handful of holes. The USGA is expected to finish second-round play early Saturday. Follow live coverage here. -3: Burns -2: Spaun -1: Hovland E: Adam Scott, Ben Griffin, Thomas Detry Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Oh dear. Rory McIlroy can only dig his ball out of the fairway bunker, immediately ending any faint hopes he might have had of starting his round with a birdie. He then catches a flier out of the rough, his ball bouncing hard on the green before disappearing into the lush green cabbage at the back of the green. He's able to wedge out of that at the first time of asking, which is something, but is left with an 18ft putt for bogey, which he misses. So it's an opening double and he slides back to +6. Getty Images Sam Burns fired himself into contention with a superb 65 today and has just been interviewed by Sky Sports in the UK. 💬 He said: 'Yesterday I played extremely well. It was tough to finish how I did but today was all about reframing yesterday. I needed to get back mentally, because it feels as though my game is in a good spot. And it was really solid. 'You have to be on the fairway around here. The rough is just so tough. So driving the ball well is extremely important and I was able to do that today.' Getty Images Brooks Koepka started so well today before somewhat fading away, eventually shooting a 74 to head into the weekend at +2. He's back on the range with Pete Cowan, no doubt trying to work out some kinks ahead of this third round tomorrow. Getty Images Rory McIlroy really struggled on the front nine yesterday, after an impressive start to his round on the back. … and, unfortunately for the reigning Masters champion, it's not a great start on the first today. He dumps his drive in one of the fairway bunkers down the left. Getty Images James Nicholas with an up and down day. The American, who was up at the top of the field after a fine 69 yesterday, endured a terrible front nine. A double bogey on the first, a quadruple on the fifth, and three successive bogeys from Holes 7 through 9. After the turn, he's warming up again. Two pars, then three consecutive birdies, finally bring a grin to his face. Big cheers from the fans, and he raises his arms to ask for more. Great that he's having fun out there on an extremely tricky course. Hugh Kellenberger/The Athletic The organized chaos that is No. 9 green, which doubles as a practice green, is really something. And that's before you add on the scores of fans walking right next to it. Getty Images Here is Bryson DeChambeau, the defending champ, who receives plenty of cheers, whoops and hollers ahead of his first strike. His tee shot is slightly to the side, in the semi-rough. Decent lie. Can he put himself in a good position for the weekend with an under-par round today? He's not wearing Tiger red today, instead opting for a patriotic blue and white number. Getty Images Brooks Koepka finishes off a 4-over-par 74 with back-to-back bogeys. The two-time U.S. Open winner is at 2 over after two rounds. He had eight bogeys today. He's still only six shots off the lead, but it's not the type of round we expected from Koepka, who was in a confident spot after his 68 in the first round. Getty Images The first green at Oakmont puts your local crazy golf course to shame. It slopes rapidly away from the player, which meant J.J. Spaun only had to give his 30ft birdie putt attempt from the front of the green the lightest of tickles. And it's a great effort, trickling its way a fraction past the cup, to leave the easiest of pars. A confident start from our leader. Getty Images Oh, Sam Burns, what a putt. He judges a curling left-to-right putt up the hill on the ninth to absolute perfection and the ball drops to cheers. He's followed yesterday's 72 with a 65 today. Round of his life? The average round is trending between 74 and 75! Getty Images The long par-three eighth is such a beast of a hole. Viktor Hovland is its latest victim, carding a bogey that sees him slide back to -1 for the tournament, in a tie for fifth. He didn't get nearly enough on his tee shot which left a fairly ludicrous 77ft putt. He got it to within 15ft but that's a lot to make par and in the end he had to settle for a bogey. Ouch, Sam Burns had to take a penalty drop on the ninth, the final hole of his second round. The American, currently tied second and a shot off the leader J.J. Spaun, just pinged the ball up to the green with his third shot at the par four. It will be a very tricky putt for par. I reckon he'll do well to finish with a bogey, which would be just the second of his fantastic Friday. Let's see... Getty Images Rory McIlroy is out on the range warming up. He's away in half an hour. Like J.J. Spaun, he'll be starting his round on the difficult first hole. McIlroy once again skipped talking to the media yesterday after his disappointing opening 74. He has come in for some criticism for this decision, as you would probably expect and, speaking on Sky Sports, Paul McGinley has said he's surprised by McIlroy's silence. 💬 He said: 'Not doing the media is very un-Rory like. The guy who's probably the best in the media has decided now for, what, five rounds in a row at majors not to engage at all with anybody. 'It speaks more to him being not being contented at all, which is surprising after completing the Grand Slam.' Getty Images Sam Burns is currently on pace for 10.88 strokes gained total. That number will change throughout the day. Nobody has gained 11 or more strokes on the field in a U.S. Open round since 1980, when Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf both opened with 63s at Baltusrol. Here we go then… J.J. Spaun is ready to tee off on the very intimidating first. But Tom Kim is up first. The 22-year-old, who is +2 for the tournament, hasn't been having a great season and misses the fairway to the left. Next up is our overnight leader. He found the short stuff with his tee shot on this hole yesterday and does so again today. It's a peach, battered right down the middle of the fairway and he's in position A1. J.J. Spaun, the leader of the 2025 U.S. Open, has wrapped up his pre-round practice and is making his way to the first hole. He's starting on the tougher front nine and is going to have to roll with the punches until he hits the turn. Getty Images As if to underscore the point of how hard life is here at Oakmont Country Club, only seven players are under par. Out of 156! Getty Images Scottie Scheffler is starting to right the ship as his second round winds down. The world No. 1 knocks in a six-footer for birdie to improve to 3-over-par with two holes to play. Viktor Hovland remains at 2 under after lagging his 76-foot birdie putt to two feet from the cup. Page 2
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Rory McIlroy is pretty much over this edition of the US Open
Rory McIlroy just wants to go home. After three rounds at Oakmont Country Club at this year's US Open, the Northern Irishman is over it. When asked what he wanted from Sunday's final round after a frustrating first three rounds at the 125th US Open, the Masters champion said: 'Hopefully a round in under four-and-a-half hours and get out of here.' McIlroy's triumph at Augusta earlier this year made him the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam. It was his first major championship win in more than a decade after multiple close calls, and the golf world collectively wondered whether McIlroy could go on to huge success in 2025 with the Masters monkey off his back. That's not been the case, not by a longshot. The five-time major winner has cut a frustrated figure throughout this week's US Open outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He's been seen throwing clubs, smashing tee box markers, tossing his putter into the air after missing putts and – as he did at the PGA Championship last month – blowing off reporters after his rounds. When he spoke on Saturday after his 4-over 74, McIlroy admitted that he hadn't felt the same after his Masters win. 'You don't know how you're going to react to such a – I wouldn't say a life-altering occasion, but at least something that I've dreamt about for a long time,' he said, adding 'I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards.' McIlroy is a crowd favorite here at Oakmont, attracting some of the largest galleries on the course. Spectators holler 'Let's go, Rory!' whenever he walks past, whether that's after one of the two birdies he carded on Saturday or the six bogeys that left him shaking his head. But it seems no amount of support is cutting through McIlroy's frustration at the moment. He managed to book himself a weekend tee time with a remarkable closing stretch on Friday, playing 2-under after starting his round with two double bogeys on the first three holes. The question on everyone's lips during his Friday afternoon struggle was simple: 'Is Rory going to miss the cut?' A brilliant birdie on 18, set up by one of the best approach shots hit by McIlroy since that Sunday playoff at Augusta, wasn't so much fueled by his competitive nature as it was his apathy toward playing another two days at the US Open. 'It's funny. It's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not,' he told reporters with a laugh. 'I was sort of thinking, 'Do I really want two more days here or not?' So, it makes it easier to play better when you're in that mindset.' Unlike his friend and early-rounds playing partner Shane Lowry – whose rage at the course was clear from the start, including a moment when he dropped a four-letter expletive caught by a hot mic after missing a putt on Friday – McIlroy is still here. It seems that it's much to his chagrin – especially at the prospect of answering questions from the media. McIlroy said earlier this month that he didn't speak to the media at the PGA Championship in May because he was angry after it was reported that his driver was nonconforming ahead of the tournament, expressing that information was supposed to be confidential and someone leaked it. Ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy stressed to reporters that speaking to the media wasn't something required of players. When asked about those comments on Saturday, he said he wasn't trying to force PGA Tour officials to require players to speak to the media. Instead, his desire to skip post-round interviews is purely frustration with the media and he'd continue to skip talking after rounds if he didn't feel like it. 'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah,' he said. The 125th US Open is being played for a record tenth time at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania where CNN's Patrick Snell is in the rough to show you just why the famed country club has long been considered one of the toughest courses in the country. #cnn #news #sports #golf #usga #usopen #oakmont #golfing #oakmontcountryclub The beast that is Oakmont's setup for this tournament is punishing players who make the tiniest mistake. McIlroy is no different and, while he feels like he's played 'OK' this week, the mental game is weighing on him. 'That's the name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there, but it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly,' he said. He added, 'It's very difficult. You got to be on every single shot. You know if you miss a fairway you're going to be scrambling for par. You know if you miss your landing spot even coming from the fairways by a couple yards, these greens repel the ball into rough and you're up against collars and it just makes things very, very tricky. So, yeah, you got to be totally on your game.' It's clear that McIlroy is not on his game, a disappointing fact that has led to viral moments of anger that will be the lasting memories of his 2025 US Open. With next month's Open Championship being held in his home nation's Royal Portrush, McIlroy will be hoping to get himself out of this funk and back toward the top of the leaderboard. He tees off for his final round of the US Open on Sunday morning, hours before the leaders arrive on the Oakmont grounds as they push for the trophy that McIlroy won in 2011. If his demeanor on Saturday is any indication, he'll be long gone by the time the 18-inch, sterling silver cup is raised.
