And that’s all folks! Thanks for reading today and we’ll leave you with a final leaderboard. It looks beautifully poised for a weekend of drama.

-5: Åberg
-4: DeChambeau, Detry, Cantlay
-3: McIlroy, Finau, Pavon
-2: Matsuyama

Pavon has made two sand saves out of three so far today but it becomes two from four as his seven footer misses left. A bogey-bogey finish is frustrating but at just two off the lead he’s right in the hunt.

Pavon pulls the trigger at 9 having watched playing partners Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im hit excellent tee-shots that landed near the flag but somehow ended up trickling off the back of the green and finishing 50 feet away. Pavon, wary of a similar fate, ends in the front bunker.

Just the par-3 9th to go for Pavon. Birdie will tie the lead while a repeat of Molinari’s hole-in-one would give him top spot on his own!!

Bogey for Pavon at 17 and he falls into a four-way tie for second.

-5: Åberg (F)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Cantlay (F), Pavon (17)
-3: McIlroy (F), Finau (F)

Pavon opts for Kaymer 2014 style and goes with putter. It’s the safer option and takes double out of the equation. His ball rolls up the slope to about 10 feet. As the week’s best putter statistically, he’ll have a fair chance of saving par.

Joint-leader Pavon is in the middle of the 8th fairway after a 322-yard drive. He hits his approach to 30 feet so he’ll have that to nudge in front of Aberg. Well, forget that. The app telling porkies there as the TV coverage shows the Frenchman’s approach bounding off the back edge. Not where you want to be.

Ouch, that’s a costly one for Nicolai Hojgaard at the 8th, his penultimate hole. A double bogey spirals him down from -1 to +1. A total of 15 players are under par now.

Who says Patrick Cantlay lacks a touch of charisma? Here he is post-round. “My game feels like it’s in a good spot. Just need to hit a few more fairways and leave myself some more looks.” Hot content. Right there!

Rich Beem points out that Tiger won’t automatically qualify for the US Open next year as his five-year exemption for winning the 2019 US Masters would have run out. Fair point, although it’s not hard to see Woods being given a special exemption if he hadn’t made it in and wanted to try his luck.

Hmmm. This isn’t exactly definitive is it!

Cantlay pars the last to get in the hutch at -4. Right now, that’s a share of the clubhouse lead with DeChambeau and Detry. Worth noting that the two joint-leaders after round one – Cantlay and McIlroy – couldn’t break par today after shooting 65s on Thursday. Still, both men are right in the hunt after follow-up rounds of 71 and 72 respectively.

Here’s that magical moment from Molinari. Surely that’s a record: making the cut thanks to a hole-in-one on your final hole.

A defensive two-putt from Åberg secures par at 17. A smart play there. No point in any heroics there when putting down a baked-out green from 25 feet. Playing partner Finau is more aggressive with his slightly longer effort but manages to clean up to remain at -4.

-5: Åberg (17), Pavon (15)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Cantlay (17), Finau (17)
-3: McIlroy (F)

Aberg can’t make that nine-footer so he drops back into a tie for the lead with Pavon at -5, who pars the 596-yard 5th hole. The Frenchman, who won at Torrey Pines earlier this year, is four from home. Pavon is ranked the best putter so far this week with Aberg third.

Tiger looks away sharpish as he hits his second to 18, the result of sand flying up into his face. But he won’t like the result when he sees it, his approach just staying on a patch of land above the bunker. Tiger had to hole that to make the cut and it ain’t happening now. It’s been a brave effort but ultimately not enough and the only cuts he’s made in majors since 2020 have both come at Augusta (47th in 2022 and 60th in 2024).

Three bogeys against a single birdie in the last nine holes and Cantlay is down to -4 and two behind Aberg after a dropped shot at 16. But the Swede could be losing one himself at the same hole after finding sand at the back of the green. This is a scary bunker shot but he plays it into a slope to take the heat out and, although nine feet away, has a fair chance of saving par.

Big fist pump from Sergio at 7, his 16th, as he holes a 15-footer for birdie. A double bogey at 2 had dropped him over par for the tournament but he’s back in red numbers again after gains at 3 and now 7. He gives it another little clenched fist after retrieving his ball from the hole and he’s all set to make his 20th US Open cut, the most by any player in the modern era. Just five off the lead now, he’ll certainly be aiming higher than that.

Tiger’s race is run but, oh my, he nearly kept it alive with a moment of magic on 17. He finds the left bunker on the par 3 and will have to hole out to make the necessary birdie. It’s a great try and at one point looks in but, like Woods himself, his ball runs out of steam. The tap-in par is no good at this stage. Tiger will miss the cut, well, unless he holes his second for eagle at the 450-yard par-4 18th.

It’s also going wrong for another former US Open winner, Brooks Koepka. A costly triple bogey at 3 following a dropped shot at 4 has rather wrecked his scorecard and left the five-time major champion at +4 with three to play. But while Woods and Koepka struggle, Aberg is in cruise control. A slightly iffy chip onto the green after he comes up short at the par-3 15th ends 12 feet away but from there he drops a right-to-left curler deadweight into the hole. The Swede retains the solo lead at -6. Finau almost aces the same hole but his eight footer back for birdie stays right. They both walk of with a pair of 3s when a minute or so ago a two-shot swing that would have seen them meet on -5 looked possible.

-6: Åberg (15)
-5: Cantlay (15), Pavon (13)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Finau (15)
-3: McIlroy (F)

Tiger hasn’t had the breaks today and his tee shot at 16 looks good but bounds off the back of the green. But his putt back up the hill is, let’s be honest, fairly terrible, an apologetic effort that never has the hole on its radar and drifts 12 feet away. If he misses this he’ll have to birdie 17 and 18 to make the weekend. He studies the putt, gives it a confident hit but, nope, it catches a little bit of the hole but drifts by on the left. Bogey.

Ludvig Åberg isn’t the only Scandinavian presence on the leaderboard. Swedish compatriot Tim Wilding, a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, is -1 with a hole to play while Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard is on the same mark. Hojgaard, who helped Europe to Ryder Cup glory in Rome last year, really has it going today. He’s -3 for his round with five to play. Åberg, meanwhile, clobbers a 371-yard drive down the 14th but his wedge to 18 feet is rather 7-out-of-10 quality and his putt won’t drop.

-6: Åberg (14)
-5: Cantlay (14), Pavon (13)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Finau (14)
-3: McIlroy (F)

Tiger is giving himself looks and fires his approach to a slither of green right of the hole at 15. From the apron, his 15-foot right-to-left breaker looks good. Tiger sets off to walk it in but, no, the ball catches a good chunk of the hole and lips out! Agony for the galleries and millions of TV viewers willing him on. The window is closing. Tiger has to play the final three holes in 1-under to make the projected cut of +5.

Simon McMahon writes: “Evening David. Well that didn’t go to plan for Scotland in Munich. I need cheering up now. How did Oban’s finest Bob MacIntyre do today?”
Erm, more bad news I’m afraid Simon. He shot 76 and looks all set to miss the cut by a single shot.

You have to love Tyrrell Hatton. Here he is being far more self-deprecating man than angry man.

DeChambeau’s reverse curse continues but he’s still all laughs and giggles as Pavon moves ahead of him with birdie at his 12th hole. Time for a leaderboard update.

-6: Åberg (13)
-5: Cantlay (13), Pavon (12)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Finau (13)
-3: McIlroy (F)

And now Finau is on the march, red numbers at 10 and 12 elevating him to -4 and tied third. Now in the middle of the 13th fairway, this is another birdie chance but Finau rather balloons his short iron from 144 yards and it lands 30 feet away. Bryson is still in the commentary box and wills Tiger’s lengthy putt at 14 into the hole but it just stays on the high side. Woods remains outside of the cut line by a shot. Four to play.

Bryson is interviewed live by NBC underneath an umbrella at a pop-up interview desk in the trees. He’s all charm as he analyses his round of 69. “Well, I’m glad I’m not playing right now,” he chuckles, “it was certainly softer conditions in the morning. I didn’t drive it particularly well but that’s okay, I scrambled quite well and … thanks for having me on the show by the way, this is a lot of fun.” He even has a go at live commentary, watching Aberg’s birdie putt at 12. “Looks a little short … ooh, he made it, right in the heart. Dang!” Bryson, still in great spirits, continues his commentary stint and then sees Cantlay birdie 13! He better get out of there before the leaders pull further clear of him!

Tiger’s little dance around the cut line continues and he threatens to hop the right side of it again at 13 but can’t convert his birdie try from seven feet. Arghhh. He needs to play the final five holes in 1-under to make it into the weekend.

Cantlay’s second to the 12th ends in a ‘native area’, otherwise known as a clumpy bit of scrub in sandy wasteland to the right of the green. He can only chunk it forward short of the putting surface and ends up making what the pros call a ‘good bogey’ as he gets up and down from there. The American drops back to -4 and is over par for the day again.

-5: Åberg (10)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Cantlay (12), Pavon (10)
-3: McIlroy (F), Finau (11)

As they sit at home and watch the TV coverage, what do players past and present make of Pinehurst No.2? Here are a couple of takes from 1989 Open winner Mark Calcavecchia and current Tour player Michael Kim.

Oh Tiger! A sloppy bogey at 12 and he slips to +6. The cut is most likely +5. Can he respond? At least he’s in the fairway at the short par-4 13th so this could be a chance to get his head above water again.

Contrasting fortunes for Tony F and Toni R. In North Carolina, Finau rolls in his birdie at 10 to climb to -3 alongside McIlroy in tied sixth while, in Munich, Antonio Rudiger heads into his own goal to give Scotland’s fans something to cheer at Euro 2024. Although, as I write this, former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can makes it 5-1 to Germany on the stroke of full-time. Oh dear.

No birdie for our leader Åberg at the par-5 10th. But tap-in pars are invaluable currency on this course. He remains out in front by a shot but Cantlay, from the middle of the fairway at 11, could soon join him after a smooth draw from 181 yards plonks down, takes a little hop and rolls to within five feet. It’s a great chance for just his second birdie of the day and he takes it. We’re all tied at the top again.

-5: Cantlay (11), Åberg (10)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Pavon (9)
-3: McIlroy (F), Finau (10), Thompson (7)

Tyrrell Hatton (-1 and tied 10th after a 71 today) speaks to Nick Dougherty at the Skycart and says, with a pause, that he’s “pretty happy”. The Englishman adds: “It’s just so hard out there, it’s so easy to make bogeys … little mistakes are costly … yeah … it’s just hard work.” The famously combustible Ryder Cup star is smiling though and, as noted earlier, seems almost happy that the course is messing with everyone’s head. In fact he’s even recalling decent breaks he got yesterday despite his huge dollop of bad luck today when his approach hit the flag at 13 and rebounded into sand from where he made bogey. “That was hard,” Hatton says through gritted teeth, letting out a little sigh as he watches a replay.

Cantlay was making a mess of 10 but shows some sharp short-game skills to save par and remain at -4. In Munich, Scotland are also -4 against Germany. The hot player at Pinehurst No.2 right now is Davis Thompson. The resident of St. Simons Island – home of the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic – has gone birdie-birdie-birdie at 3, 4 and 5 to join Rory McIlroy in tied sixth. A mention too for Tony Finau, who is bowling along nicely at -2 for the tournament after an outward nine of even par. What a popular winner Big Tone would be and he certainly has the right mix of power, finesse and temperament to be a big factor on the weekend. It’s the putter that never quite convinces though and he’s 62nd in Strokes Gained: Putting to this point so isn’t exactly convincing anyone otherwise.

If we can agree that +6 won’t make the cut, here are some familiar names who will be leaving the property after 36 holes.
+6 Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre, Max Homa
+8 Jason Day, Alex Noren
+9 Victor Perez
They’ve all finished for the day. Two major winners almost certain to join them are Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. Both are at +10 after 10 and nine holes respectively. Phil Mickelson is +12 with nine to play.

Åberg nearly manages one against the head at the tough par 9th, his lengthy birdie try just running out of gas as it approaches its final destination. A par there is just fine though and he turns in 1-under 34, his tally of -5 currently one clear of DeChambeau, Detry and Cantlay. The latter is playing military golf at the par-5 10th though, his drive going into the scrub down the right before he pulls his second way left. It’s in the lap of the golfing gods that one but he may be okay despite his ball hitting a tree and Rick O’Shea-ing 30 yards backwards. Tiger can’t get up and down after pulling an awkward lie so he’ll head to the 11th tee at +5 and his place in the field this weekend still hanging by a thread.

Tiger has a par 5 to go at for his opening hole of the back nine and shows he can still hang with these young ‘uns by launching two meaty blows at the 621-yarder, the second lash careering over the back of the green. An up-and-down birdie would be very handy here with Woods still bang on the projected cut line.

Åberg’s par putt at 8 is always turning away from the hole and that’s his first bogey of the day. The Swede’s lead is reduced to one. It’s almost wiped out completely as Cantlay’s birdie putt at 9 seems to be tracking towards the hole but it doesn’t quite turn enough and that’s a par. An opening nine of 1-over 36 for the American, who is still searching for his first major. Right now, that applies to four of the top five, Bryson DeChambeau the only man in that leading quintet to have tasted victory at this level.

-5: Åberg (8)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Cantlay (9), Pavon (7)
-3: McIlroy (F)

Another of the fancied horses this week, Collin Morikawa, is enduring a bit of a struggle. Starting out at even par, he’s played his first eight holes today in +2 after successive bogeys at 14 and 15. That’s left him eight off the pace and tied 31st. Work to do for Åberg at 8 though as his chip from short of the green doesn’t have enough welly and finishes 14 feet short. Koepka shows how it’s done when holing a lengthy one – with a putter – from off the putting surface at 18. He’ll start his second nine at even par, six behind right now but possible just five very shortly.

Tiger’s chip up the slope to the right of the 9th green suffers a fate we’ve seen numerous times this week: it lacks pace and rolls back to his feet. And the same thing happens to joint-leader Patrick Cantlay at the 8th. Well, at least they’re not Scotland, who are 3-0 behind and down to 10 men at half-time against Germany. In fact, Cantlay now has a 12-footer for double bogey but he avoids the huge number with a gutsy putt that dribbles in. Two shots gone though and young Åberg leads on his own by two with Pavon giving one back at 6. Tiger, despite sweating profusely in the hot North Carolina sun, calmly gets up and down with his second attempt to limit the damage at 9 to bogey. Now +5, he probably needs to play the inward nine in even par to make the cut.

-6: Åberg (7)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Cantlay (8), Pavon (6)
-3: McIlroy (F)

What of Brooks Koepka, the back-to-back winner of US Opens at Erin Hills in 2017 (-16) and Shinnecock in 2018 (-1)? The five-time major winner can’t find a change of gear today and six pars and a bogey from the 10th, his opening hole, see him at +1 and seven off the pace.

Tiger did manage to clean up for par at 8 but at 9 he’s in trouble. His tee shot takes what on first glance seems a favourable bounce off the apron to the left of the flag but it’s actually more of a fling and his ball hurtles away and off the other side of the green.

Tiger putts from downtown on the treacherously difficult 8th green. It’s pretty well judged but only travels 61 feet of the required 65 so there’s still a little meat on the bone. If he wants to make the weekend, these are must makes. At the 15th, Sahith Theegala is about 20 feet off the green but has a bunker between him and the flag which stands away in the distance. He opts to skirt around the sandy obstacle with a little bump and run, a sensible taking-your-medicine play. Except as it trundles up the slope and onto the green, his ball starts curling towards the hole. It can’t, can it? It can, dying into the hole at a right-angle for one of the craziest birdies of the week. No wonder Theegala gives it the big one, punching his arm repeately as he walks onto the green. It’s a great showreel moment, sure, but the popular American is now actually -3 for his round after six holes. From looking a certainty to miss the cut after a 7-over 77 yesterday, he’s back inside the cut line at +4.

Åberg cosies his long-range putt at the 6th to kick-in range, nods to the crowd and that’ll be a par 3 for the strolling Swede. Paul McGinley, in commentary, notes that Åberg does everything well and most of his stats support that analysis. In the Strokes Gained categories, Åberg is 2nd Off The Tee, 6th Putting, 10th Tee To Green and 11th Approach. If there is something he could tidy up it’s short game as the 24-year-old is only 87th Around The Green. Cantlay is 3rd in that same category.

A couple of pars for Tiger since his frustrating bogey at the front nine’s only par 5. He stays at +4 and still the right side of the cut line. And, erm, sorry to say if you’re a Scotland fan, a couple of goals for Germany in the first 20 minutes in Munich. Wirtz and Musiala on the scoresheet.

A double whammy of excellence at the top as Åberg and Cantlay both make birdie to move two clear of the field. We can’t exactly equate this to a Tour de France breakaway but reserve the right to do so if they pull four or five clear of the peloton. Åberg gets up and down, holing from 10 feet to birdie the fifth and Cantlay joins him straight after when draining a 21-footer for his two up at 6.

-6: Cantlay (6), Åberg (5)
-5: Pavon (3)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F)
-3: McIlroy (F)

As it stands, there are 15 players under par but that number is dwindling, down from 17 around 15 minutes ago. They include amateur Neal Shipley, who won the Low Amateur at the US Masters in April and was all of us when looking fantastically awkward during the toe-curling ceremony in the Butler Cabin.

Temperament is a key ingredient of a US Open winner. Retief Goosen, the winner in both 2001 and 2004, wore that switched off demeanour better than most, displaying his inner Steve McQueen best of all when winning in brutal conditions at Shinnecock 20 years ago. Ludvig Åberg is perhaps the modern-day equivalent, that air of cool making him a perfect fit for this event. He’s just hit a towering approach to the par-5 that bounds off the back of the green. No worries though. He strolls along the fairway, casually taking his glove off. The Swede is leading the US Open but you wouldn’t know it.

Tiger’s tee-shot at the par-5 5th just misses the fairway and that creates a chain of events that ends in a disappointing bogey. Tiger back to +4 and even par for the day again. But maybe not for long as he’s hit an excellent tee-shot at the 6th, setting up a birdie opportunity from inside 15 feet. Talking of birdies, Pavon adds another at 2 and he’s now tied for the lead after those two gains straight out of the gate.

Sergio, in chili red trousers and white top, is flying the flag for Spain here after 2021 US Open champ Jon Rahm withdrew before the start due to a foot infection. And he’s going nicely too, setting up a nine-foot birdie attempt with a fine approach to 14, his fifth hole of the day. Knock that in and Sergio will be -2 for the tournament and tied seventh. If ever there was an example of a player climbing the mountain, finally planting the flag and then thinking ‘now what?’, it must be Garcia. Before he finally ended his wait for a major by beating Justin Rose in a playoff at the 2017 Masters, the Spaniard had racked up 22 top 10s at this level. Since then… zero. In fact, since winning the green jacket, he’s played 24 majors and missed the cut in 15 of them. His best finish in that stretch is tied 19th so he’s on track to beat that at least. And, who knows, maybe much more although that nine-footer doesn’t drop.

Did Rory miss a bit of a chance today to create some daylight? Kaymer followed his opening 65 here in 2014 with another but McIlroy was seven shots worse on Friday following his -5 lap of Pinehurst on day one. He drove it extremely well and is 1st for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee in today’s stats. The culprit was the flatstick, McIlroy ranking a lowly 130th for SG: Putting so far in round two.

It’s a birdie for Matthieu Pavon at his opening hole, the par-5 10th. Tres bien! That lifts the Frenchman to -4 and into a tie for third with Bryson DeChambeau and Thomas Detry, who are both done for the day. Pavon certainly seems to like these par 5s. There are only two of them at Pinehurst but he’s now -5 after three attempts at those long holes thanks to that birdie from sand just now and a pair of eagles yesterday. For wide-eyed, tell your friends context, Pavon has played the par 5s in seven shots fewer than Scottie Scheffler.

-5: Cantlay (3), Åberg (3)
-4: DeChambeau (F), Detry (F), Pavon (1)
-3: McIlroy (F)

Tiger! Woods shows that the whole point of towering an iron onto the green isn’t just for show; it’s so you can knock the resulting birdie putt in. And he does just that! A contender for loudest roar of the day as he sinks his 16-footer to return to -3. It’s worth noting that he played that same four-hole stretch in +3 yesterday. He’s four shots better over 1-4 today.

I’m sure many of you have manufactured some kind of twin TV set-up to keep an eye on both the golf and Germany v Scotland in Euro 2024. You can follow the Tartan Army on our live blog here. Martin Kaymer (+3) and Robert MacIntyre (+6) are both done for the day so can maybe share a cab somewhere to watch it all unfold.

A par-par-par start for Tiger and now he has 229 yards for his approach to the 4th. It’s a beauty, Woods producing a long-iron from his imperious pomp to set up a birdie chance from maybe 15 feet. Tiger is inside the likely cut line of +5 by a shot but you feel he’s walking a tightrope today. One bad hole and he flips the other side of it. We’re all pulling for him though, especially when you see shots like that.

A three-putt bogey for Detry at his penultimate hole drops him out of the lead and back to -4. He’s replaced at the top by Åberg, who drains a 30-footer for birdie at 2, the Swede giving the crowd a noncholant wave as he joins Cantlay in the lead on -5. Up at 3, Cantlay has the chance to pull clear on his own but his 11-footer slides by, as a lot of putts do on these super-fast greens.

It’s quite the international leaderboard as I scan my eyes over the top 10, with eight different nationalities on show. We have three American flags and one each from Belgium, Sweden, Northern Ireland, France, Japan, Canada and Spain. As the three three previous Pinehurst winners were from the United States (Payne Stewart), New Zealand (Michael Campbell) and Germany (Martin Kaymer), that seems quite appropriate.

Thanks Scott. Another superb shift. I’d say the equivalent of a 4-under 66 at Pinehurst today.

… and with that, I’ll hand over to David Tindall, who will take this thing home. I’ll see you again tomorrow for Moving Day. Enjoy, enjoy!

A disappointing opening par for Brooks Koepka at 10. A chip up from 35 yards to six feet looked to have set up birdie, but the putt’s never dropping. The two-time champion remains at level par.

Ludvig Åberg opens with a no-nonsense par at 1. The debutant – only the seventh player in history to shoot 66 or better in his first-ever US Open round – remains at -4. Meanwhile up on 2, Tiger finds himself in a bit of bother off the tee, in the scrub down the right, and can’t reach the green in two. But he gets up and down from 50 yards, a staunch 12-footer for par saving the day. He remains at +4.

Thomas Detry leaves a 50-foot birdie putt a good ten feet short on 7. Danger here, in the wake of the bogey at 6. But he gamely rattles in the par saver to remain in a share of the lead at -5.

Opening par for Patrick Cantlay at 1. Meanwhile up on 10, Sergio Garcia, wearing some retina-bothering bright red breeks, nearly holes out from the apron for eagle. The ball stubbornly refuses to drop, but he’ll be tapping in for an opening birdie that’ll take him up to -2, and … he couldn’t, could he? Far too early to go there, of course, and yet it’s very difficult not to start thinking about it.

Thomas Detry sends his tee shot at the long par-three 6th into the bunker on the left. He splashes out to ten feet, but can’t make the par saver, and that sole ownership of the lead didn’t last long.

-5: Detry (15*), Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (F), Åberg
-3: McIlroy (F), Pavon

The joint 18-hole leader Patrick Cantlay pegs up for the first time today. An iron down the right-hand side of the 1st fairway. Meanwhile up on the green, Tiger crisply chips up to a couple of feet, and tidies up for an opening par.

Here comes another man of the people: Tiger Woods. After yesterday’s 74, he needs something “solid and boring” at the very least if the three-time champ is to survive the cut. Not the greatest start, however, as his approach bounds off down a swale to the right of the 1st green. The mood music of his afternoon may depend on the success of the upcoming scramble.

Bryson DeChambeau talks to Sky. “I made a lot of birdies which I was proud of … the two par-threes on the front nine was stellar … the par-fives, one over par, pretty disappointed, if I can clean that up it’ll ease a lot of the other holes … give myself a little bit of a cushion … great iron play … making a lot of putts … freeing up is key … the fans are awesome … they’ve been super nice to me … it’s fun feeding off them … I love it … I’ve learned a lot about myself in general … focusing on what makes me a better not just golfer but person … how I can be more entertaining … how I can give the fans what they deserve … there’s been a lot of stuff in the past that’s happened and I’m looking to right the ship … it’s going to be an interesting test of golf … let’s play some solid, boring golf … if I can do that, I’ll give myself a great shot.”

A mass of contradictions, but then aren’t we all? Such a likeable player, and so much fun to watch. Also, I’m pretty sure what he considers “boring golf” is wild fun for the rest of us, so it promises to be a great weekend. As some dude opined the other week: a man for the people.

Thomas Detry creams a fairway wood into the heart of the par-five 5th from 265 yards to 30 feet. He can’t make the long eagle putt, but leaves himself a two-footer for birdie that gives the 31-year-old Belgian – who has yet to win on either the European or PGA Tour, but recently finished in a tie for fourth at the PGA - sole ownership of the lead at the US Open!

-6: Detry (14*)
-5: Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (F), Åberg
-3: McIlroy (F), Pavon

Rory McIlroy splashes out to ten feet, but his par effort is always drifting low to the left. That’s a 72, and he’s the new clubhouse leader at -3. Scottie Scheffler gets up and down from the sand, but that 75 will have him watching the afternoon play while keeping a nervous eye on that cutline. Chances are +5 should be enough … just … but nothing’s certain. Par for Xander Schuaffele too, and he signs for a 69. He’s -1 and despite not bringing his best stuff, is in good shape ahead of Moving Day.

Tyrrell Hatton ends the day with a one-over 71. Given his round threatened to spiral out of control towards the end – he was fuming after an awful ricochet off the flagstick at 13 turned possible eagle into bogey, which, with the mist descending, led to another dropped shot at 14 – but he’s parred his way home. And while he’s mooching off to the clubhouse muttering darkly, once he settles down he’ll be pretty happy with his position: in red figures after 36 holes at a US Open. He’s -1 and the joint clubhouse leader with Tom Kim.

Scottie Scheffler, who could really do with a birdie to finish with, joins Rory in the bunker. It doesn’t look as though he’s plugged, but a sandy save is surely non-negotiable if the world number one isn’t to spend the afternoon seriously fretting about the cut. Even if he scrambles his par, at +5 he’ll be doing that anyway, but you get the general thrust. “I was reminded by a talking head this morning that the USGA generally sets up the course to be less punitive on Thursday and Friday, because they have 156 golfers they have to get through,” writes Joe Pearson. “Once the cut is in place, they typically change it up to make it harder on Saturday and Sunday. So today is supposed to be one of the easy days! Madness (and I love it)!”

A 68 for Tom Kim. The 21-year-old South Korean is the early clubhouse leader at -1. Meanwhile trouble for Rory McIlroy at the very end of his round, the par-three 9th. His tee shot dunks into the sand guarding the front left, and plugs. A proper fried egg. Good luck with that. At least he’s got a bit of green to work with.

Robert MacIntyre signs for a 76. It’s probably not going to be enough to make the weekend, and he swishes his putter around in the air in frustration. He’ll always have Ontario. Meanwhile a brilliant 67 for Sam Bairstow; just a shame the 25-year-old from Sheffield carded a disastrous 84 yesterday. He finishes his week’s work here at +11, and while he won’t be around for the final two rounds, that’s salvaged a huge chunk of pride and the experience will stand him in good stead going forward.

A pretty straight 25-foot putt across 4 for Thomas Detry. A big chance to hit the lead out on his own, but he doesn’t hit it. Meanwhile the 2015 champion Jordan Spieth was slowly piecing together a round after birdies at 14, 17 and 5, but he can’t get up and down from greenside sand at 6, and his second bogey of the day drops him back to +1. Far from out of contention though. A long way to go on a course that isn’t going to get any easier today, or at the weekend.

Billy Horschel walks one in on 14. It’s his fourth birdie of the day, with just one bogey on his card. He’s back to level par for the tournament. After some time in the wilderness, Horschel tied for eighth at the PGA last month, only his second top-ten finish in the majors in a long career. His other: a tie for fourth at Merion in the 2013 US Open, where having led at the 36-hole mark, a final-day 74 scuppered his chances.

Scottie Scheffler desperately needs something. Anything. He nearly gets it on 7, but his 40-foot left-to-right drifter slips agonisingly by on the low side. He remains +5. Rory McIlroy also comes close with a birdie rake from distance, but he too has to settle for par. He’s in much better nick at -4. And finally Xander Schauffele, who pulled his tee shot into trouble down the left, grinds out a par to stay at -1.

-5: Detry (12*), Cantlay
-4: McIlroy (15*), Åberg
-3: DeChambeau (15), Pavon
-2: T Kim (16*), Matsuyama (14*), Pendrith (12*), Finau

Thomas Detry grabs himself a share of the lead! He drains a 25-footer across 3, and the 31-year-old Belgian joins Patrick Cantlay at -5. Meanwhile it’s three birdies in a row for Hideki Matsuyama, the latest at 5, and the Japanese superstar – who tied for second at Erin Hills in 2017, albeit a mile behind Brooks Koepka – moves into serious contention at -2.

The defending champion Wyndham Clark – out of sorts coming into the tournament – is fighting his way back into contention. After a disappointing 73 yesterday, he played the back nine this morning in one-over 36, but since turning has finally picked up some forward momentum. Birdies at 1, 3 and 5, and he’s +1 for the tournament. Barring some dramatic collapse, the champ will be here for the weekend. The chance of him becoming a consecutive winner in the style of Willie Anderson (1903, 1904, 1905), John J McDermott (1911, 1912), Bobby Jones (1929, 1930), Ralph Guldahl (1937, 1938), Ben Hogan (1950, 1951), Curtis Strange (1988, 1989) and Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018) looks unlikely … but you never know!

Rory McIlroy attempts to power a 7-iron into the long par-three 6th. His ball topples back off the front. A chip up to six feet and a confidently struck putt saves his par. It looks like Bryson DeChambeau has made a sandy par on 15, but having splashed out daintily to six feet, he lets the straight putt slide by. Back to -3. Meanwhile on 7, Tom Kim clips a delicious second from 150 yards to kick-in distance, and he’ll be moving to -2 in a couple of minutes.

Thomas Detry gets back to -4 with birdie at 1. There are only 17 players currently under par, and here they are.

-5: Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (14), McIlroy (14*), Detry (10*), Åberg
-3: Pavon
-2: Pendrith (11*), Finau
-1: Hatton (15), T Kim (15*), Schauffele (14*), Matsuyama (13*), SH Kim, Conners, Garcia, Bennett, Rai

The first bogey of the second round for Taylor Pendrith. He can’t get up and down from the apron at the front of the green, and drops back to -2. Back-to-back birdies meanwhile for Tom Kim, at 4 and 5, and he’s into red figures for the tournament at -1. And it’s consecutive birdies for Hideki Matsuyama too, at 3 and 4. Throw in birdie at 11, and no bogeys yet today, and the 2021 Masters champ is -1 as well.

Xander Schauffele can’t make his ten-foot bogey putt, and he slips back to -1. Finally it’s Rory McIlroy’s turn, and he pours in his putt to escape with par. That’ll feel good; he remains at -4. So yeah, the easiest hole yesterday; today it’s now ranked fourth-easiest. But look at what’s just happened to the three best players in the world according to the rankings! The moral of this story: probably not the best idea to attack the pin on 5 today. Whether that’s fair punishment for an aggressive approach that lands near the flag is a matter for debate. But it’s the US Open, and everyone knows the rules of engagement.

Scottie Scheffler elects to chip up from the side of 5. He leaves a tentative one well short. Rory McIlroy decides to putt. That’s short as well. Back to Scheffler, who can’t make the 12-footer he’s left with, and that’s a double-bogey seven. Suddenly the world number one is in serious danger of missing the halfway cut. He’s +5.

The three balls at 5 on grainy sand, surrounded by tufts of grass. A big bank up to the green. The flag only just up on the green. Short-sided. Scheffler up first. An uncertain prod. The ball rolls back to his feet. Schauffele then needs two attempts to lob up. Back to Scheffler, who flies the green, his ball down the slope on the other side. That’ll be a hell of a putt coming back. Finally McIlroy, who bumps and runs with a 7-iron … and sends his ball through the green and into Scheffler Country. What a complete fiasco, given all three approach shots landed on the green. The punishment all out of whack. For the first time this week, the commentary team on Sky question how fair this particular set-up is.

Problems for everyone at the par-five 5th, as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele all land their approaches on the left-hand side of the green. The camber takes their balls, one by one, down a slope and into a patch of scrub. Scheffler and McIlroy there in two, Schauffele in three. All with work to do. Meanwhile it’s beginning to unravel for Tyrrell Hatton, who makes his third bogey in four holes, the latest on 14. That awful slice of luck on 13 has finally sparked the fume. He’d been doing so well to keep the lid from clattering, too. He’s -1.

Taylor Pendrith is the hottest property out on the course today. He sends a forensic iron into 1, tidies up from six feet … and the US Open has never had a champion from Canada, you know. Meanwhile on 13, Bryson DeChambeau isn’t going to follow birdie with bogey for the third time today; instead he finds the heart of the green, then teases in a downhill 25-footer that glides left to right, briefly looks like missing on the left, but catches enough of the hole to topple in. Back-to-back birdies this time! The crowd roar for one of the most popular players out there. He’s on the march!

-5: Cantlay
-4: DeChambeau (13), McIlroy (13*), Åberg
-3: Schauffele (13*), Pendrith (10*), Detry (9), Pavon

Tyrrell Hatton’s ball on 13 ended up in a greenside bunker. He splashes out to six feet, but can’t save his par. A bogey, when he was millimetres away from slam-dunking for eagle. That’s dreadful luck. That’s also the US Open for you. He slips back to -2. Meanwhile on 5, Xander Schauffele manufactures a low hook out of the trees and into the centre of the fairway, from where he’ll be able to take a shy for the green. A birdie at this par five still not out of the question! Some things are worth waiting for, I guess.

The par-five 5th is playing the easiest on the course. A big chance to gain on the field. So what you don’t want to do is pull your tee shot into the trees on the left. That’s what Xander Schauffele does, his ball springing back off a trunk, only 170 yards up the hole. He hits a provisional, but there’s really no need as his ball is in the clear on the pine straw. Schauffele doesn’t half take his time, and it turns out his, eh, methodical approach is causing a bit of a traffic jam, so much so that the group were on the clock for a while. Be more Brooks, kids.

Bryson DeChambeau sticks his approach at 12 pin high to 18 feet. He walks in the putt and raises a fist into the air. Back to level par for his round and -3 for the tournament. His last two birdies have been followed by bogeys on the very next hole. Surely he can’t keep doing that? You’d surely expect him to snap that run, with a short par-four coming up.

An awful stroke of luck for Tyrrell Hatton on 13. He very nearly slam-dunks his wedge from 70 yards, in the style of Mark Calcavecchia at the 1989 Open. But the ball bounces backwards, thanks to a combination of the back of the cup and the flagstick. Off the front of the green it goes. Inches away for eagle; now he’s got work to do if he’s to save par. Shades of what happened to Sepp Straka earlier. Given Straka’s later ace, Hatton is entitled to ask the golfing gods when he’s getting a hole in one.

Another birdie for Taylor Pendrith. This one comes on 18, and he turns in 32 strokes, not a blemish on his card. He’s -2.

Another Rory McIlroy putt stops agonisingly on the lip. The one at 1 was tentative to the point of careless; this one is extremely unfortunate, a 40-foot left-to-right curler that was about half a joule of energy short of making it. So close to consecutive birdies. He remains at -4. But there’s a worse form of frustration for Scottie Scheffler, who aims an arrow from 220 yards pin high to six feet, only to miss the putt wide right. It’s just not happening this week for the world number one and pre-tournament favourite. You can now get 25s on him with some turf accountancy firms; Rory is the new bookies’ favourite. Meanwhile a bounce-back birdie for Tyrrell Hatton at 12.

Tommy Fleetwood’s nightmare Friday continues apace. He follows up bogey at 10 with another at 11; that’s four in five holes. He slips to +4, outside the current projected cutline. Chances are that will move out as the day develops, but Southport’s finest is treading a fine line here. Bob MacIntyre is also flirting with another weekend off; having bogeyed 4 and 5, he again made back-to-back bogeys at 8 and 9, turning in 39 strikes. But he’s since birdied 10 and is battling, an inch or two away from making another at 12. He’s +3 for both round and tournament.

A third birdie in four holes for Xander Schauffele. This one is the result of aiming a dart at the short par-four 3rd to five feet. He’s now -3, but still a shot behind Rory McIlroy, who cards his first birdie of the day by wedging from 150 yards to four feet and making a putt at last. Bogey meanwhile for Tyrrell Hatton at 11.

-5: Cantlay
-4: McIlroy (12*), Åberg
-3: Schauffele (12*), Detry (6*), Pavon
-2: Hatton (11), DeChambeau (10), Finau

Bryson DeChambeau is always in trouble at the par-five 10th, having sent his tee shot into the scrub down the right. He squirts his second into a bunker on the other side of the fairway, then his third disappears down the back of the green. He can’t get up and down, and for the second time today, he follows birdie by immediately handing the shot back to the field. It could have been even more painful, too, as he only just made a four-foot bogey putt, the left-hand side of the cup grabbing a slightly nervy effort. He’s -2.

Xander Schauffele is gathering some real momentum. He walks in a 15-footer on 2 and that’s his fourth birdie in eight holes. What a response to that bogey-bogey start. He’s -2. Meanwhile birdies at 11 and 14 for Taylor Pendrith; the 33-year-old Canadian has no record of note in any of the majors, though he did win his first PGA Tour event last month at the Byron Nelson. He’s -1 for the tournament.

Bryson DeChambeau builds on the par save at 8 with a superb birdie at the par-three 9th. A tee shot to five feet, and in goes the putt. He’s back up to -3, which is the mark of choice for the morning wave right now.

-5: Cantlay
-4: Åberg
-3: McIlroy (10*), Hatton (9), DeChambeau (9), Detry (5*), Pavon

Frustration also for Thomas Detry, who sends his second at 14 wide right of the green, then fails to get up and on with a Texas wedge. His putt topples back down to his feet. His second effort, while much better, still stops 12 feet short, but he gathers himself well to tidy that up and limit the damage to bogey. Frustration turning to slight relief there; that threatened to spiral out of control. He’s -3.

Xander Schauffele watches in horror as he lands his approach at 1 pin high, four feet to the left, only for the ball to bite, roll back, and scamper off the front of the green. There goes a birdie opportunity. He does his best to match Rory McIlroy’s post-de-green chip on 17, but must make do with par. He remains at -1. Scottie Scheffler meanwhile leaves himself a ten-foot uphill birdie putt, but doesn’t hit it. Never up and in, and that’s just a par. And it’s par too for Rory McIlroy, who having sent his approach over the flag to eight feet, but perhaps with that de-green in mind, is overly conservative with his tickle down, and the putt stops on the lip. Frustrating, and Pinehurst has done a number on everyone there. “I know it will probably move up some more, but top 60 and ties is currently +3,” observes Joe Pearson. “So the following players are right on the cut line: Scheffler, Homa, Young, Burns, and Fitzpatrick. Yikes!”

A fine par save for Bryson DeChambeau on 8. His ball having toppled off the back and down a swale, he only just gets it back up onto the dancefloor. But he walks in the 15-foot putt that remains, then punches the air in delight having avoided back-to-back bogeys. Meanwhile in other blood-stemming news, Tommy Fleetwood, having bogeyed 7 and 8, steers in a six-foot par putt on 9. He’s +2. And it’s three birdies in four holes for the 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley, at 12, 14 and 15. He’s +1.

Xander Schauffele has turned things around nicely. Birdie at 18, reward for screeching his wedge from 156 yards to a couple of feet, and having started bogey-bogey, he’s completed the back nine in one-under 34. He’s -1, right back in it, and it’s now worth pointing out that only four players have ever won the US Open and PGA in the same year: Gene Sarazen (1922), Ben Hogan (1948), Jack Nicklaus (1980) and Brooks Koepka (2018). Should Schauffele come through, he’d be joining quite the elite club.

Akshay Bhatia is heading in the wrong direction. The exciting young Californian, who lives in nearby Raleigh, follows bogey at 11 with another at 13. He’s back to level par after yesterday’s impressive 68. Martin Kaymer is falling out of love with North Carolina as well, handing back his two early birdies by dropping shots at 14 and 15. The 2014 champ tumbles back to level par for the championship.

While all of that nonsense was going on, Bryson DeChambeau was handing a shot back on 7. Meanwhile it’s three birdies in a row for Thomas Detry, at 11, 12 and 13, the Belgian becoming the first player this morning to make a serious move up the standings. It’s taken a while, but the second round is beginning to bubble.

-5: Cantlay
-4: Detry (4*), Åberg
-3: Hatton (8), McIlroy (8*), Pavon
-2: DeChambeau (7), Finau

“That might be the worst shot I’ve ever hit.” The world number one Scottie Scheffler, there, his mind being slowly scrambled by Pinehurst No2. A tee shot pulled miles wide left and short of the 199-yard par-three 17th. This isn’t Scottie Scheffler at all. Factor in the earlier meltdown, when Scheffler started throwing his putter around like Stevie Nicks in the video for Tusk, and maybe Tyrrell Hatton had a point yesterday when he was asked whether the difficulty of Pinehurst tipped the scales in his street-fighting favour …

I guess in some ways, with it being harder, a lot of guys sort of losing their head, it sort of brings them to my level because I just lose my head every week! They can kind of experience what it’s like in my head for a week.

A disappointing par for Bryson DeChambeau at 5, as he fails to get up and down from just off the front of the par-five. But he responds sensationally with the first birdie of the day at the 222-yard par-three 6th, curving in a big right-to-left putt from 25 feet, one he knew was going in from the moment it left the bat. He moves to -3, as does Tyrrell Hatton with birdie at 7, reward for a wedge from 107 yards to six feet.

-5: Cantlay
-4: Åberg
-3: McIlroy (7*), Hatton (7), DeChambeau (6), Pavon
-2: Kaymer (4*), Detry (2*), Finau

“[Word redacted by Family Website Editor] me!!!” Bob MacIntyre there, effing and jeffing in the deadpan Oban style as he watches a tickly downhill birdie putt on 7 roll six feet past. He does very well to steer in the one coming back to save his par and remain at +2. Birdie meanwhile for Thomas Detry at 11; the 31-year-old Belgian, who finished in a tie for fourth in the PGA at Valhalla last month, is currently in a tie for fifth at -2.

An unnecessary bogey for Max Homa on the par-five 5th. Having sent his tee shot into the gorse down the left, he elects to slash out with a hybrid instead of taking his medicine. Bad decision. He can only advance the ball 50 yards further up into more filth. A dropped shot becomes inevitable. He’s +2 for the week. Another birdie however for the 2014 champ Martin Kaymer, this time at 13, and he’s just three off the lead at -2!

“Is it really 100 years since Willie Macfarlane became the last Scot to win the US Open?” wonders Simon McMahon, who, let’s face it, is doing all he can to keep his mind off Euro 2024 and Germany. “Allow me to dream that maybe Bob MacIntyre can sink the winning putt and bring it home for Scotland this year. It’s about time. Go Bobby go!” Sadly MacIntyre is going backwards today, following up the aforementioned bogey at 4 with another on 5. He’s +2. Oh, and Macfarlane won in 1925, so that Caledonian yearning you speak of has only lasted a mere 99 years.

More thistle-infused US Open fun, courtesy of the four-time champion Willie Anderson, can be found by clicking below.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy fire their tee shots at the par-three 15th straight at the flag … but both topple back off the front of the turtle-back green. Scheffler gets too aggressive with his chip up, and is fairly fortunate that his ball doesn’t topple over the back and into a bunker. Instead it stops on the fringe, and while he’s inches away from draining the 25-foot swinger coming back for an outrageous par, the ball shaves the front lip, right to left, and he throws his putter into the air in a fit of pique. The putter spins, lands and bounces around on the floor as he turns away in disgust. Not too often Scheffler descends into a funk like this. The US Open at Pinehurst, ladies and gentlemen! McIlroy meanwhile only just chips up onto the green, and marks his ball quickly before it can think about rolling back down the false front. Two putts later, and both men are walking off with bogey. Par for Xander Schauffele. Meanwhile birdie for Tyrrell Hatton at 5, and the upper echelons of the leaderboard take on a subtle new look.

-5: Cantlay
-4: Åberg
-3: McIlroy (6*), Pavon
-2: Hatton (5), DeChambeau (4), Finau

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele take turns to throw darts into the par-four 14th. All within ten feet, but only Schauffele is able to convert the opportunity into birdie. That’s two on the bounce for the Californian, and he’s repaired the damage caused at 10 and 11 impressively in short order. He’s back to level par.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout has never got it together at the majors. The 30-year-old South African’s best finish at one is a tie for 30th at the 2021 PGA. He’s threatening something a wee bit better here, though: birdies at 13 and 15 and he moves up to level par after yesterday’s 72. He’s one of only two players out there currently at two under for his round, the 25-year-old English debutant Sam Bairstow being the other. Bairstow has birdied 10 and 14 today, but he’s not going to beat his previous best at a major tournament – a tie for 81st at the 2022 Open - coming as he is off the back of yesterday’s disastrous 84. Bairstow is +12 for the championship, and currently propping up the entire field.

Martin Kaymer, who took Pinehurst No2 to pieces when winning the US Open here ten years ago, shot a fine 70 yesterday. He’s started well this morning, too, with birdie at 10 to move into red figures for the championship. He’s -1.

Scottie Scheffler has a quick sideways glance in the mouth of his lucky gift horse, trundling a 50-foot putt on 13 ten feet past. But he nails the one coming back. A par that didn’t look likely when his ball appeared from the tee box to be sailing towards the scrub. He remains at +1, and he’s rejoined there by his playing partner Xander Schauffele, who is rewarded with birdie for a wedge from 134 yards to five feet. Par for Rory.

A big break for Scottie Scheffler, whose drive at 13 found a large patch of sand. He’s able to whip his second onto the green, albeit nowhere near the flagstick. Luck however deserts Sepp Straka on 3. His approach looks really good … but it clatters the flagstick and bounds straight back into a bunker. Running hot, he overhits his splash out, which races across the green and down a scruffy bank on the other side. He needs three strokes to get the ball onto the green, then requires a ten-footer to limit (!) the damage to a triple-bogey seven. Last year’s joint runner-up at the Open tumbles down the standings to +3. How quickly a US Open bid can unravel.

“Dude, what are you doing?!” Scottie Scheffler yelling in exasperation there, as he carves his drive at 13 into an awful lot of nonsense down the right. His big stick behaved badly yesterday: he only hit six out of 14 fairways, a tie for 141st in a field of 156. He got away with a few errant ones then; he’ll be hoping to have caught another break here.

Tom Kim finished in the top ten at LACC last year. Throw in a tie for second at last year’s Open, plus commendable finishes in this year’s Masters and PGA, and the ever-entertaining young Korean is surely a major champion of the future. Three days in the future? Well, why not? The charismatic 21-year-old opened his round today with bogey at 10, but he’s just carded back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 to bring himself up to level par for the tournament.

The new Canadian Open champion Robert MacIntyre, fresh from his week off celebrating, shot a commendable 70 yesterday. He nearly completes one of the great scrambles on the par-four 4th. Finding himself knee-deep in the native area to the left of the fairway, he does pretty well to power out, sending his ball wide left of the green. The best he could do, but there’s a bunker in the way and he’s on a downslope, short-sided. No matter! He opens his lob wedge to the heavens and scoops the ball miles into the air, landing it softly three feet from the cup. One of the shots of the week. Sadly, he doesn’t commit to the downhill putt, and it trickles apologetically to the left. A bogey and he’s +1.

An eventful start for Tommy Fleetwood. A three-putt bogey at 2 is followed by a fine second into 3, from 135 yards to ten feet. In goes the putt, and he’s back where he started the day at level par. In other dispatches for Anglophiles, Tyrrell Hatton began his round with a three-putt bogey at 1, and threatened to compound the error by whistling his tee shot at 2 into oomska down the left. But he got up and down from the apron to scramble par, and remains well in the hunt at -1.

An extremely careless bogey for Rory McIlroy on 11. Wedge in hand, 137 yards out, the pin in the middle of the green, he pulls his approach down a bank to the left. A chip up to six feet, but a missed putt, and that’s the 2012 and 2014 champion’s first backwards step of the week. A blemish-free card yesterday, but it didn’t take long to spoil things this morning. Another par for Scottie Scheffler, who hasn’t done anything particularly impressive so far today, but hasn’t made any silly mistakes either.

-5: Cantlay
-4: McIlroy (2*), Åberg
-3: Pavon
-2: DeChambeau (2), Finau, Bhatia

Xander Schauffele can’t guide in his gentle right-to-left slider on 11, and that’s a bogey-bogey start for the PGA champ. He’s +2. But Schauffele isn’t the first to zig-zag his way around Pinehurst this week, and he won’t be the last. The man he pipped at Valhalla last month, Bryson DeChambeau, finds himself in the scrub on 2, and his second flies through the green and topples down a bank. He overcooks the chip back, and that’s a shot gone. He’s -2.

More trouble for Xander Schauffele, who sends his tee shot at 11 into the scrub down the left. His ball ends up in front of a tuft, with another clump of grass behind it. That’s going to interfere with his backswing. Forced to come down steep, he can only gouge back out onto the fairway. One of those shots that looks like amateur hackery, but in fact is some result; just getting it out took reserves of power and skill. But he’s got to get up and down from distance to save his par now. A wedge straight at the flag to 12 feet will help. Big momentum-shifting putt coming up.

Sure thing, Viktor Hovland! He so nearly spins his wedge at 1 from 121 yards into the cup. The ball stops nine inches away from the hole and that’s a kick-in birdie. He’s +7 and will need something pretty special if he’s to survive the cut. That’s currently at +3 but will almost certainly move out as the field struggles with these conditions and Pinehurst’s notorious turtle-back greens.

Xander Schauffele was all over the shop yesterday, and did very well to emerge relatively unscathed with a level-par round of 70. The newly crowned PGA champion is up to his old tricks again today, carving his second into the trees down the right of 10, then flying his third from the pine straw over the back of the green. His wedge up from the back zips 12 feet past, and he can’t make the par saver. He slips to +1. Pars meanwhile for both Rory McIlroy (-5) and Scottie Scheffler (+1).

Viktor Hovland is back with his old swing coach Joe Mayo. A decision that has, on the whole, rescued his season from disaster, though you can never fix everything in one fell swoop, and yesterday’s 78 was a stark reminder that there’s still work to do. There’ll be no maiden major for the reigning FedEx champ and two-time PGA runner-up this week. Anyway, he’s started today’s repair job with an iron clacked down the middle of 1, as have his playing partners Bryson DeChambeau (-3) and Max Homa (+1), and I can’t be the only person whose mind turns to Seinfeld when the subject of Hovland’s coaching arrangements comes up.

An early birdie for Brandon Robinson-Thompson. The 31-year-old from the Isle of Wight is playing in his first US Open and only his second major – he played all four days at Hoylake in last year’s Open – and is enjoying himself so far this week. A 72 yesterday, and now a birdie at 10 to start off his second round. He’s +1 overall, and with extensive experience of golfing in neighbouring South Carolina, will fancy his chances of surviving another major-championship cut and building from there.

It’s not really breaking news to inform you that Pinehurst No2 is playing hard and fast today. Sky Sports have just illustrated that fact by showing a couple of shots into 1 this morning by Mark Hubbard and Adam Svensson: both players landed their ball softly beside the pin, only for a small amount of backspin to send their ball back onto the fairway, first slowly, then very quickly. Perfect comic timing, with affronted reactions to match. Not quite so amusing when it happens to you or your favourite, of course. It could be a long day for the players unless they find their landing spots. The margin between success and failure so fine, but then it’s the US Open, so.

So will Rory McIlroy continue his upwardly mobile momentum in the wake of that birdie on 18 last night? He’s admitted that he only walked in the putt because he thought he’d left it short, which was honest of him but kinda ruined the mic-drop effect; either way, though, it’s given the 2011 champion a huge boost as he pursues that elusive fifth major. He’s out early this morning, and his first drive down 10 is a thing of club-twirling perfection. His playing partners Xander Schauffele and the world number one Scottie Scheffler also split the fairway. It’s going to be an exciting morning!