PINEHURST, N.C.
Pinehurst No. 2 gave players fits on Friday — some more than others. The course played firm and fast on a hot day. Balls were on the green and then they weren’t. Lip outs and three jacks and all the misery typically associated with a U.S. Open. There won’t be any 62s this week at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, that’s for sure.
But first some of the heroics. Italy’s Francesco Molinari made an ace at No. 9, his final hole of his second round to go from outside the cutline to making the weekend. “That’s what I was trying to do. It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend. I saw we were still 61st, so hopefully we can sneak in the cut,” Molinari said. “Yeah, that’s golf in a nutshell.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau, that’s never happened before in a U.S. Open. Special stuff.
How about Xander Schauffele, the reigning PGA Championship winner, who shot 69 to finish at 1-under 139 and inside the top 10. It also extended his PGA Tour-leading streak of made cuts to 49, matching Steve Stricker for the longest such streak since Tiger Woods set the mark with 142.
It took 5-over 145 to be among the 74 players to make the cut. Four amateurs advanced to the weekend: Neal Shipley, Luke Clanton, Bryan Kim, and Gunnar Broin. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler survived on the number, shooting 4-over 74 on Day Two.
But a bunch of big names were on the wrong side of the cutline and were trunk-slamming on Friday.
Viktor Hovland was among the favorites this week after finishing third at the PGA Championship last month. He dug himself a big hole by shooting 78 on Thursday and not even a Friday 68 could save him. Hovland made six bogeys and two double bogeys on Thursday. He ranked 151st in both SG: Tee to Green and SG: Around the Green, which is an ugly combination. On Friday, he was eighth in SG: Tee to Green and second in SG: Around the Green but the damage was done.
The Scot, Robert MacIntyre, who won his maiden PGA Tour title at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago, apparently needs his father, Dougie, on the bag more than even he knew. MacIntyre struggled to make birdies, just one on Friday and three overall for the first 36 holes. It didn’t help that he was 2 for 7 in scrambling on Friday. A double at 13 and bogey at 17 sealed his fate as he signed for 70-76.
Max Homa’s approach game was a tale of two rounds. He gained more than two strokes in the first round and ranked fifth in the field of 156 in SG: Approach the Green. One day later, not so much. He ranked 154th and lost more than 3.5 strokes. Homa, who shot 71-75, missed his second cut in his last three starts.
The reigning U.S. Amateur champ, Nick Dunlap, has been in the pro ranks since January and is learning how cut day can be a nail biter. This one is going to be a tough one to stomach as Dunlap made a triple bogey on the par-3 ninth hole, his final hole of the day. He went from 3 over to 6 over and out of the tournament. Dunlap’s tee shot sailed long into the native area and he played ping pong back and forth, including into a bunker. Tough way to end his week.
Tiger Woods failed to capitalize on a good driving round on Thursday and was equally frustrated on Friday, saying, “it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.” He posted 74-73, making just one birdie on Friday when he was battling for the cut. Tiger, who received a special exemption into the field of 156 this week was asked if this would be his last U.S. Open. “As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is. It may or may not be,” he said.
The former world No. 1, Jason Day, shot 71-77. Perhaps it was the conservative outfit from Malbon that threw him off his game. In any event, Day struggled on Friday, ranking No. 149 in SG: Tee to Green and 151st in SG: Putting. Being 4 of 10 in scrambling usually adds up to scores around 77.
Will Zalatoris, the Wake Forest product, has to be disappointed with shooting 75-73. Zalatoris doesn’t have a top-10 finish since the Masters. A crooked driver hurt Zalatoris, who hit just half the fairways and ranked T-142 in fairways hit. On Thursday, Zalatoris was 2 for 9 in scrambling. He hit just 7 of 18 greens on Friday.
Rickie Fowler failed to make a single birdie on Friday at Pinehurst No. 2, a course where he finished T-2 a decade ago. This is Fowler’s second straight missed cut and he continues to struggle this season after ending a winless drought last year at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and being selected to the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Dustin Johnson missed the cut at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2017. He shot 74-75. The LIV golfer missed the cut in a major for the third time in his last four starts. This marked the final major start of his 30s. (DJ turns 40 on June 22.) Johnson was 1 for 5 in scrambling on Thursday and 4 of 11 on Friday.
Sungjae Im shot 74-75 due to a balky putter. He ranked 149th in SG: Putting on Thursday and wasn’t much better on Friday. Im entered the week with two straight top-10 finishes. But that streak came to a halt and another one continued – this marks Im’s third straight missed cut in a major this season.
Justin Thomas’s major mojo is still MIA. He missed three of four cuts in 2023 and now 2 of 3 in 2024. Thomas stunk up the joint on Thursday, shooting 77, and followed with 74 on Friday. His…
