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Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Burns leads US Open, McIlroy squeaks into weekend
Sam Burns earned the halfway lead at the US Open on Friday to boost his hopes of a breakthrough at Oakmont Country Club, where Rory McIlroy battled late to make the weekend and holder Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut. Burns went out early from the 10th tee and covered the punishing Oakmont layout with the low round of the week, a sizzling five-under-par 65 that put him at three under and one shot clear of overnight leader J.J. Spaun (72). The only other player under par is Viktor Hovland, who is alone in third place and two shots back of Burns after a two-under 68 that included a chip-in for eagle from behind the green at his eighth hole, the par-four 17th. Burns, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, ran into trouble at his final hole where an errant tee shot forced him to take a penalty drop but left his next shot on the green and then curled in a 22-foot, left-to-right putt up the hill to save par. "Honestly, I didn't really think of a score," said Burns, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who lost in a playoff last week in Canada. "The golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what's a good score and what's not. You're really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can." Spaun had led Burns, who finished hours earlier, by one shot with four holes to play but fell back after a three-putt bogey at the 15th, where his birdie attempt raced by the cup, and another dropped shot at the par-three 16th. A determined Spaun, who was the only player to go bogey-free on Thursday, drew level with a 22-foot bounceback birdie at the 17th but was unable to scramble for par at the last after finding the rough behind the green. "I knew it would be hard to back up a bogey-free four-under at Oakmont in the U.S. Open. So I'm just glad that I kept it together," said Spaun. "Kind of fell asleep on the back nine towards the end there, but responded with a nice birdie on 17." Play Suspended Adam Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, carded a second consecutive even-par 70 and was three shots off the pace and in a two-way share of fourth place with Ben Griffin (71). For the first time since 2021, there will be no players with at least one US Open title on his resume among the top five and ties after 36 holes, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Play was suspended due to lightning with 13 golfers still on the course in a driving rain, including Thriston Lawrence, who was looking at a three-foot par putt on his final hole to stay at one over on the week when the horn sounded. "Just about when I was going to take my putt, the siren sounded," said Lawrence. "A bit frustrating in that sense, but those are the rules." The South African made a fast start to his round and reached six under par for the week after four holes to build a three-shot lead before sliding back. Frustarted Mcilroy McIlroy, struggling to regain his form ever since winning the Masters, was in a fight to make the cut after two early double-bogeys and launched a club in frustration after mis-hitting his approach shot at the 12th. McIlroy's chances did not look good when, at the drivable par-four 17th, he sent his ball into the rough before promptly destroying the nearby tee box with a violent swing of his club. The Northern Irishman managed to par the hole and then closed with a birdie to make the cut with a shot to spare after his approach shot caught a ridge and rolled to a stop four feet from the hole. He enters the weekend nine shots off the lead. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who came into the week looking to become the first back-to-back US Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, was not so lucky as he carded a seven-over 77 that left him at 10 over for the week. Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler, fresh off the worst first-round score relative to par of his major career, mixed four birdies and five bogeys for a one-over 71 that left him at four over on the week. "Today was, I think, with the way I was hitting it, was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there," said Scheffler, who will start the third round seven shots back.
TimesLIVE
4 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Burns leads US Open, McIlroy squeaks into weekend
Sam Burns earned the halfway lead at the US Open on Friday to boost his hopes of a major breakthrough at Oakmont Country Club, where Rory McIlroy battled late to make the weekend and holder Bryson De Chambeau missed the cut. Burns went out early from the 10th tee and covered the punishing Oakmont layout with the low round of the week, a sizzling five-under-par 65 that put him at three under and one shot clear of overnight leader J.J. Spaun (72). The only other player under par is Viktor Hovland, who is alone in third place and two shots back of Burns after a two-under 68 that included a chip-in for eagle from behind the green at his eighth hole, the par-four 17th. Burns, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, ran into trouble at his final hole where an errant tee shot forced him to take a penalty drop but left his next shot on the green and then curled in a 22-foot, left-to-right putt up the hill to save par. "Honestly, I didn't really think of a score," said Burns, a five-times winner on the PGA Tour who lost in a playoff last week in Canada. "The golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what's a good score and what's not. You're really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can." Spaun had led Burns, who finished hours earlier, by one shot with four holes to play but fell back after a three-putt bogey at the 15th, where his birdie attempt raced by the cup, and another dropped shot at the par-three 16th. Due to significant rainfall this evening, spectator gates will open at 8 a.m. ET tomorrow for the third round of the 125th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club. Shuttle service from the RED and BLUE general parking lots will begin at 7:30 a.m. Please be advised that… — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 14, 2025 A determined Spaun, who was the only player to go bogey-free on Thursday, drew level with a 22-foot bounceback birdie at the 17th but was unable to scramble for par at the last after finding the rough behind the green. "I knew it would be hard to back up a bogey-free four-under at Oakmont in the U.S. Open. So I'm just glad that I kept it together," said Spaun. "Kind of fell asleep on the back nine towards the end there, but responded with a nice birdie on 17." Adam Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, carded a second consecutive even-par 70 and was three shots off the pace and in a two-way share of fourth place with Ben Griffin (71). For the first time since 2021, there will be no players with at least one U.S. Open title on his resume among the top five and ties after 36-holes, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Play was suspended due to lightning with 13 golfers still on the course in a driving rain, including Thriston Lawrence, who was looking at a three-foot par putt on his final hole to stay at one over on the week when the horn sounded. "Just about when I was going to take my putt, the siren sounded," said Lawrence. "A bit frustrating in that sense, but those are the rules." The South African made a fast start to his round and reached six under par for the week after four holes to build a three-shot lead before sliding back. McIlroy, struggling to regain his form ever since winning the Masters, was in a fight to make the cut after two early double-bogeys and launched a club in frustration after mis-hitting his approach shot at the 12th. McIlroy's chances did not look good when, at the drivable par-four 17th, he sent his ball into the rough before promptly destroying the nearby tee box with a violent swing of his club. The Northern Irishman managed to par the hole and then closed with a birdie to make the cut with a shot to spare after his approach shot caught a ridge and rolled to a stop four feet from the hole. He enters the weekend nine shots off the lead. Defending champion Bryson De Chambeau, who came into the week looking to become the first back-to-back U.S. Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, was not so lucky as he carded a seven-over 77 that left him at 10 over for the week. Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler, fresh off the worst first-round score relative to par of his majors career, mixed four birdies and five bogeys for a one-over 71 that left him at four over on the week. "Today was, I think with the way I was hitting it, was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there," said Scheffler, who will start the third round seven shots back.
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Burns leads US Open, McIlroy squeaks into weekend
OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA: Sam Burns earned the halfway lead at the US Open on Friday to boost his hopes of a major breakthrough at Oakmont Country Club, where Rory McIlroy battled late to make the weekend and holder Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut. Burns went out early from the 10th tee and covered the punishing Oakmont layout with the low round of the week, a sizzling five-under-par 65 that put him at three under and one shot clear of overnight leader J.J. Spaun (72). The only other player under par is Viktor Hovland, who is alone in third place and two shots back of Burns after a two-under 68 that included a chip-in for eagle from behind the green at his eighth hole, the par-four 17th. Burns, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, ran into trouble at his final hole where an errant tee shot forced him to take a penalty drop but left his next shot on the green and then curled in a 22-foot, left-to-right putt up the hill to save par. "Honestly, I didn't really think of a score," said Burns, a five-times winner on the PGA Tour who lost in a play-off last week in Canada. "The golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what's a good score and what's not. You're really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can." Spaun had led Burns, who finished hours earlier, by one shot with four holes to play but fell back after a three-putt bogey at the 15th, where his birdie attempt raced by the cup, and another dropped shot at the par-three 16th. A determined Spaun, who was the only player to go bogey-free on Thursday, drew level with a 22-foot bounce-back birdie at the 17th but was unable to scramble for par at the last after finding the rough behind the green. "I knew it would be hard to back up a bogey-free four-under at Oakmont in the U.S. Open. So I'm just glad that I kept it together," said Spaun. "Kind of fell asleep on the back nine towards the end there, but responded with a nice birdie on 17." PLAY SUSPENDED Adam Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, carded a second consecutive even-par 70 and was three shots off the pace and in a two-way share of fourth place with Ben Griffin (71). For the first time since 2021, there will be no players with at least one U.S. Open title on his résumé among the top five and ties after 36 holes, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Play was suspended due to lightning with 13 golfers still on the course in a driving rain, including Thriston Lawrence, who was looking at a three-foot par putt on his final hole to stay at one over on the week when the horn sounded. "Just about when I was going to take my putt, the siren sounded," said Lawrence. "A bit frustrating in that sense, but those are the rules." The South African made a fast start to his round and reached six under par for the week after four holes to build a three-shot lead before sliding back. FRUSTRATED MCILROY McIlroy, struggling to regain his form ever since winning the Masters, was in a fight to make the cut after two early double-bogeys and launched a club in frustration after mis-hitting his approach shot at the 12th. McIlroy's chances did not look good when, at the drivable par-four 17th, he sent his ball into the rough before promptly destroying the nearby tee box with a violent swing of his club. The Northern Irishman managed to par the hole and then closed with a birdie to make the cut with a shot to spare after his approach shot caught a ridge and rolled to a stop four feet from the hole. He enters the weekend nine shots off the lead. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who came into the week looking to become the first back-to-back U.S. Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, was not so lucky as he carded a seven-over 77 that left him at 10 over for the week. Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler, fresh off the worst first-round score relative to par of his majors career, mixed four birdies and five bogeys for a one-over 71 that left him at four over on the week. "Today was, I think with the way I was hitting it, was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there," said Scheffler, who will start the third round seven shots back.
Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Fox in the pack as big names struggle at US Open
Sam Burns earned the halfway lead at the US Open on Friday to boost his hopes of a major breakthrough at Oakmont Country Club, where Rory McIlroy battled late to make the weekend and holder Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut. Burns went out early from the 10th tee and covered the punishing Oakmont layout with the low round of the week, a sparkling five-under-par 65 that put him at three under and one shot clear of overnight leader J.J. Spaun (72). The only other player under par for the week is Viktor Hovland, who is alone in third place and two shots back of Burns after a two-under 68 that included a chip-in for eagle from behind the green at his eighth hole, the par-four 17th. Burns, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, ran into trouble at his final hole where an errant tee shot forced him to take a penalty drop but left his next shot on the green and then curled in a 22-foot, left-to-right putt up the hill to save par. "That putt was, I don't know, six feet of break. Yeah, it was a nice one to make for sure," said Burns. New Zealand's Ryan Fox, who defeated Burns in a playoff last week to win the Canadian Open, shot three-over-par to leave him five-over in a tie for 36th, comfortable inside the cut. Spaun had led Burns, who finished hours earlier, by one shot with four holes to play but fell back after a three-putt bogey at the 15th, where his birdie attempt raced by the cup, and another dropped shot at the par-three 16th. A determined Spaun, who was the only player to go bogey-free on Thursday, drew level with a 22-foot bounceback birdie at the 17th but was unable to scramble for par at the last after finding the rough behind the green. "I knew it would be hard to back up a bogey-free four-under at Oakmont in the US Open. So I'm just glad that I kept it together," said Spaun. "Kind of fell asleep on the back nine towards the end there, but responded with a nice birdie on 17." PLAY SUSPENDED Adam Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, carded a second consecutive even-par 70 and was three shots off the pace and in a two-way share of fourth place with Ben Griffin (71). For the first time since 2021, there will be no players with at least one US Open title on his resume among the top five and ties after 36-holes, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The second round was suspended due to lightning in the area with 13 golfers still on the course in a driving rain, including Thriston Lawrence who had a three-foot par putt on his final hole to stay at one over on the week. The South African made a fast start to his round and reached six under par for the week after four holes to build a three-shot lead before sliding back. FRUSTRATED MCILROY McIlroy, struggling to regain his form ever since winning the Masters, was in a fight to make the cut after two early double-bogeys and launched a club in frustration after mis-hitting his approach shot at the 12th. McIlroy's chances did not look good when, at the drivable par-four 17th, he sent his ball into the rough before promptly destroying the nearby tee box with a violent swing of his club. The Northern Irishman managed to par the hole and then closed with a birdie to make the cut with a shot to spare after his approach shot caught a ridge and rolled to a stop four feet from the hole. He enters the weekend nine shots off the lead. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who came into the week looking to become the first back-to-back US Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, was not so lucky as he carded a seven-over 77 that left him at 10 over for the week. Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler, fresh off the worst first-round score relative to par of his majors career, mixed four birdies and five bogeys for a one-over 71 that left him at four over on the week. "Today was, I think with the way I was hitting it, was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there," said Scheffler, who will start the third round seven shots back. "I'm four-over. We'll see what the lead is after today, but around this golf course I don't think by any means I'm out of the tournament."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
U.S. Open: Big dog Brooks Koepka lurks after tongue lashing from coach
OAKMONT, Pa. — The last couple years have been so full of Rory-Scottie, Scottie-Rory that golf has collectively forgotten about a third major warrior: Brooks Koepka. On Thursday at the U.S. Open, Koepka reminded everyone that he holds five majors — two more than Scheffler, the same number as McIlroy — and when he's on, he's tough to beat. Koepka finished his round at a 2-under 68, good enough to put him within striking distance of Round 1 leader J.J. Spaun at 4-under. More than that, Koepka halted a slide of futility that extended all the way back to his victory in the 2023 PGA Championship. Coming into this week, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Koepka had played 28 rounds in majors — every single one since that victory — without finishing the day in the top 10. That's the longest drought of his career. Advertisement 'It's nice to put a good round together. It's been a while. I've been working hard, just got into some bad habits and bad swing positions,' Koepka said. 'It's been so far off, it's on opposite sides, but now it's starting to click." It didn't come without a tongue lashing from one of his coaches. On Monday, Pete Cowen laid into him during a practice session. It lasted 45 minutes, Koepka on the receiving end of a scolding from Cowen. Things got so heated, Koepka said, Justin Thomas — practicing on the opposite side of the green — thought about intervening. "I wasn't happy with it, but it was something you need to hear or I needed to hear," Kopeka admitted Thursday after his round. "I don't like having yes people around me. I just want people to tell me the truth. Tell me what's going on. What they see. If I start swaying from being Brooks Koepka, then I want them to call me out on it. He did a hell of a job on it." Advertisement Apparently. One stroke behind Koepka stands Jon Rahm, a fellow U.S. Open winner, fellow LIV Golf'er, and fellow recent struggler. Rahm bounced back from as high as +1 to as low as -2 thanks to an eagle on the par-5 4th. He couldn't hold onto that score, though, and wrapped the day at -1. 'If you're making par, you're gaining pretty much half a stroke on every hole. It's one of the craziest things that you can see,' Rahm said. 'So pars are always good. And knowing that if you make a bogey, you're not losing too much.' Spaun posted an early number that held up throughout the day, quite the achievement for a player whose highest previous leaderboard position at a major was T6 at the Masters in 2022. Brooks Koepka lines up a putt on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) 'I kind of came out here with no prior history at Oakmont, not really knowing what to expect even U.S. Open-wise. This is only my second one,' Spaun said after his round. 'I don't know if that freed me up in any aspect, but I just tried to kind of take what the course gave me … I'm just overly pleased with how I started the tournament.' Advertisement He's one of the few. Only 10 players finished the round under par, and recent history suggests that the winner will come from that crew. The last four winners of the U.S. Open were in the top seven after the first round, and 24 of the last 26 were in the top 20. That doesn't bode well for other big names coming into the tournament. Rory McIlroy followed a 2-under first nine with an ugly 6-over second nine to finish the day at +4. Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were only a single stroke better at +3. 'For whatever reason, just couldn't get the speed of the greens dialed in,' DeChambeau said. 'I mean, it could have been a couple-under round pretty easily.' Scheffler broke down the course like he was doing algebra: 'There's not a ton of strategy, I would say. You just step up on the tee box and go, 'What club can I get into this fairway?' And then try and hit that club in the fairway, and if you don't, it's like, 'How am I going to get out of this rough and get the ball back in the fairway so I can have a shot at the green?' It's not like an overly strategic golf course where you know there's a lot of club options off the tee and stuff like that. It's just a golf course where you step on the tee box, look at that fairway and you're like, all right, get the ball in that thing.' Advertisement The most real reaction came from Si Woo Kim. 'Honestly, I don't even know what I'm doing on the course,' he said. 'Kind of hitting good, but feel like this course is too hard for me.' For the record, he's two strokes off the lead at -2 — same as Koepka, who was asked when was the last time he received a tongue lashing like the one he got on Monday. "Erin Hills," he said. That would be the 2017 U.S. Open ... which he won.
