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 [June 17, 2023]
By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Rickie Fowler continued to make U.S. Open
history at the Los Angeles Country Club on Friday with another
birdie blitz that saw the fan favourite take a one-shot lead into
the weekend.
Fowler followed up his record-breaking first round 62 with a
rollercoaster 68 that mixed eight birdies with six bogeys to sit
10-under par after 36 holes, one clear of fellow American Wyndham
Clark.
"The birdies are out there if you put yourself in the right
position," said Fowler, whose 18 birdies through the first 36 holes
is a U.S. Open record.
"But as you can see, bogeys are very easy to make."
He proved Thursday's heroics were no fluke when he opened his second
round with three straight birdies and managed to get himself out of
trouble with superb putting before signing a colourful scorecard
that included just four pars.
Fowler, who had fallen off the golf map in recent years, has
thrilled fans with his sensational play this week, leading many to
hope the Southern Californian can capture his first major title in
LA.
"There has been a lot of adversity in the last three years," Fowler
said.
"It's been a while since I've felt this good in a tournament, let
alone a major. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm definitely
looking forward to it."
Fowler will not rest easy with Clark on his heels, Rory McIlroy and
Xander Schauffele two back, Harris English three off the pace and
world number one Scottie Scheffler and 2016 champion Dustin Johnson
also in pursuit.
Schauffele shared history with his friend Fowler by carding a 62 of
his own on Thursday, but a stretch of three bogeys on the back nine
threatened to swing momentum against him.
He bounced back, though, to birdie the final two holes and finish
with an even par 70.
"It was big, just to keep myself in touch," Schauffele said of his
finish.
"Four back wouldn't have been out of this world, but I was just
playing too good a golf in my head to let that round get away from
me."
In the morning wave, Clark drilled a monster 44-foot putt on the
par-four 16th before capturing his fourth birdie of the day on his
penultimate hole to sign for a second round 67.
"Fairways are pretty wide out here so you can just bomb it," said
Clark, who emerged from a stacked field to win at Quail Hollow last
month for his first PGA Tour victory.
[to top of second column] |
Jun 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California,
USA; Xander Schauffele hits a tee shot on the 8th hole during the
first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country
Club. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
MCILROY FINISHES STRONG
World number three McIlroy got hot late and birdied four of his last
five holes, including the par-three ninth, where he narrowly missed
a hole-in-one to keep his hopes of ending his nearly a decade-long
major drought alive.
"I thought it might have hit the hole, which would have been...,"
said McIlroy, trailing off.
"But I'll take a two there. Obviously a great way to finish the
round and a bit of a reversal of yesterday, where I made that bogey
at the last."
The shot of the day came when Matt Fitzpatrick nailed a hole-in-one
at the par-3 15, making him the first U.S. Open defending champion
to record an ace in the tournament's 123-year history.
LIV Golf's Johnson made a mess of his second hole and finished with
an unsightly quadruple bogey to tumble down the leaderboard, but he
battled back to card even par 70 and stay in the hunt going into the
weekend.
Course conditions have been favourable for scoring due to a thick
marine layer blanketing Los Angeles, but the sun began to shine and
wind picked up on Friday afternoon. More sun is forecast over the
weekend.
Firmer conditions should make the course located in the heart of Los
Angeles a more fitting challenge for the world's best at a major
that prides itself as being the greatest test in golf.
The tournament is the first major since the bombshell announcement
that the PGA Tour and rival circuit LIV would form a unified
commercial entity. The U.S. Justice Department will review the plan
to determine if it violates antitrust law, the Wall Street Journal
reported on Thursday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by
Amy Tennery; Editing by Christian Radnedge, Stephen Coates and
William Mallard)
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