A pretty good day for Paul Casey, then. And who’d have thought that when he was running up eight on 14? Moving Day promises to be a blast! See you all tomorrow!
-7: Casey, Harman, Fleetwood, Koepka
-6: Lovemark, Fowler, Holmes
-5: Kim, Schauffele, Champ (a), Snedeker, Matsuyama
-4: Steele, Leishman, English, Haas, Hoffman, Reavie
-3: McGirt, Henley, Garcia, Wiesberger, Kaymer
Martin Kaymer makes a regal hash of 18, hitting a fat wedge to the front of the green, then failing to hit the long uphill putt he leaves himself. He sends his par putt three feet past. He tucks away the one coming back, so that’s a bogey but nevertheless an impressive 69. He’s -3 and well placed. Jordan Spieth sends a 15-foot birdie putt towards the hole, only for it to die off to the right at the end. Par, and he goes into the weekend level. And it’s goodbye to big Dustin, who chips up from the back and takes two putts for par. A 73 to follow yesterday’s 75, and he’ll always have Oakmont.
The 18th hole is playing at 676 yards today. Dustin Johnson has just sent his second shot 30 yards through the green. He’s going home, guaranteed to miss the cut now, but what a way for the defending champion to say goodbye. He allows himself a wry smile as he ambles up the fairway.
Pressure? What pressure? Jordan Spieth flips a stunning wedge up the bank at 17 and his ball rests gently 18 inches from the flag. He’ll save his par and will surely be here this weekend. Martin Kaymer, who had sent his second over the flag to 12 feet, rolls in the putt for a birdie that takes him to -4. The 2014 champion is right in this now! But the reigning champ is for the off. Dustin chooses to putt up the bank, undercooks it, and ends with a bogey. He’s +4, and away home. Meanwhile up on 9, JB Holmes pars to sign for his second 69 of the week. He’s a shot off the lead.
Jordan Spieth is putting a little pressure on himself. A flyer from the first cut at 17 sends his ball down the big bank at the back of the green. If he doesn’t get up and down from there, a bogey down the last would send the 2015 champ packing. That’s statistically unlikely; there have only been 26 bogeys or worse on 18 today. But still. Dustin Johnson’s jig is nearly up, though; he needs to end birdie-birdie, but his approach to 17 is short and right. Eagle up the last? And even then he needs to get up and down here.
The projected cut is +1. Here’s who we’ll be losing: Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Angel Cabrera, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Jason Day and Jimmy Walker. Some big names all right. Add Dustin Johnson if he doesn’t birdie the 17th and 18th.
Koepka misses his short birdie putt on 9. There goes a chance to grab the outright lead! He taps in for par, and signs for a 70. He’s got a share at -7. Meanwhile at 15, Dustin nearly drives the green, then takes three to get down. He really needed a birdie, but remains at +3. Three holes left, two shots required to save himself for the weekend. Jordan Spieth’s not making life easy for himself, either: a missed tiddler for par and he slips back to even par, dangerously close to that +1 cut line. It only takes a double...
Fowler misreads his left-to-right slider, leaving it on the high side. He signs for a 73. Not ideal after that opening 65, but he’s right in the mix for the weekend at -6. Matsuyama can’t finish off with birdie either, and he’ll make do with par and a 65. That could easily have been a 63. Or... gulp... even better. A missed opportunity. Not that he’ll care about that particular record too much. He’s played his way right into contention. He’s -5, two off the lead, some result after yesterday’s thoroughly average 74.
There could be some more movement on the leader board soon. Because Brooks Koepka clatters his tee shot at the par-three 9th to six feet! Meanwhile over on 18, Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama both go close with wedges to set up birdie putts inside ten feet.
Brian Harman can’t make his birdie putt on 18. He signs for a 70. But Tommy Fleetwood can! His birdie secures a 70 as well, and he’s the second Englishman in the clubhouse with a current share of the lead! JB Holmes races in a 20-footer on 7 meanwhile for birdie.
-7: Casey (F), Harman (F), Fleetwood (F), Koepka (17*)
-6: Lovemark (F), Fowler (17), Holmes (16*)
The projected cut is +1. The defending champion Dustin Johnson is +3, having just three-putted the par-five 14th. If he fails to make the cut, he’ll be in good company. Since 1993, Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell, Angel Cabrera, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer have all suffered that particular humiliation. It’d also be the first time the top three players in the world rankings have all failed to make the weekend at a major, McIlroy and Jason Day having already packed their bags. No pressure, then, big man!
Brian Harman hasn’t got the length to reach the 18th in two blasts. But golf’s not all about boom-boom power. Two controlled woods, followed by a wedge, and he’s got a 12-foot putt that would give him the outright lead. Tommy Fleetwood, an infinitely bigger hitter, still opts to lay up, and he wedges close as well. Meanwhile over on 9, Chez Reavie comes close to a birdie, but settles for par that gives him a seven-under 65. He’s -4 overall.
Fowler’s bump up onto the green from the back of 17 isn’t bad, but it isn’t great. He’s left with a testing eight footer for his par. And in it goes! That’s a steal, really. He was always chasing that par. But he’s made it, and remains at -6. Matsuyama meanwhile shortsides himself down a big bank to the left, but chips up delightfully to a couple of feet and stays at -5. Holmes meanwhile drops one at 6. This is one congested leader board!
-7: Casey (F), Harman (17), Koepka (16*)
-6: Lovemark (F), Fleetwood (F), Fowler (17)
-5: Kim (F), Schauffele (F), Champ -a- (F), Snedeker (17*), Matsuyama (17), Holmes (15*)
Tommy Fleetwood putts to save his par from the fringe at 17. Nope. He drops back to -6. Par for Brooks Koepka at 7. Fowler meanwhile shoots his second straight through the green at 17, spin a pipe dream from the rough. Even so, that’s a better result than anything he could have managed from thicker fescue, so his luck’s still in. Meanwhile the move of the late afternoon has been made by Jamie Lovemark. The Californian, whose only mark in the majors was a top 20 finish a couple of years ago at Chambers Bay, has come back in 32 strokes: birdies at 10, 13, 15 and finally one at 18 earned with a 30-foot tramliner. It’s back-to-back 69s for him, and he’s sitting very nicely at -6, one off the lead!
Fowler gets away with a wild drive down the left of 17. By rights, he should be in thick fescue. But he’s found an area trodden down by punters. Let’s see if he can take advantage of the break, and at least escape with his par. Up on the green, Brian Harman - a small guy, short hitter, and left-handed, so he’s talking my language - nearly drains a long birdie putt for the outright lead. It slips by on the left, but only just, and he’ll make his par to remain at -7.
A momentum shifter for Rickie Fowler on 16! He finds the sand to the left of the green. It’s not a pleasant lie, with long grass hassling him on the backswing. But he splashes out to a couple of feet, a stunning, delicate, determined shot. He remains at -6. His playing partner Hideki Matsuyama lags up from distance to secure his par; he’s -5 still. Just the one birdie since turning in 30 for the Japanese star, at 13. So no 62 for him unless he finishes birdie-eagle. Or for Chez Reavie, unless something even dafter is about to happen. Reavie bogeyed 5 but picked the shot back up at 7. He’s seven under for his round with a couple of holes to play. A birdie, hole-in-one finish would give him a 62. But, well, y’know. Hey, it was nice to dream.
I was banging on earlier about Patrick Reed making a statement birdie at 9. Sure enough, then, he’s almost immediately gone on to jigger his momentum completely with double at 12. He’s dropped back to -3, though the ship’s been steadied with par at 13. Meanwhile Charley Hoffman finishes with birdie on 18, and he’s signing for a second 70. He’s -4 and nicely poised for Moving Day.
Brooks Koepka can’t make his par putt on 6, and suddenly it’s a four-way tie at the top! Look at this!
-7: Casey (F), Harman (16), Fleetwood (16), Koepka (15*)
-6: Fowler (15), Holmes (13*)
Tommy Fleetwood nearly guides in a snaky 25-footer on 16 for a share of the lead. He’ll have to settle for par, staying at -7. But he might have a share soon anyway, because there’s trouble at mill for the leader Brooks Koepka, who wangs his tee shot at 6 towards a stand on the left. That’s a big miss, though the fescue has been trampled down by the gallery. Had that shot been less off-line, he might have been in serious bother. As it is, he chips to ten feet, and has a chance to scramble his par. Incidentally, should he miss, it won’t just be Fleetwood taking advantage; Brian Harman, Fleetwood’s playing partner, stuck his tee shot to three feet and tapped in for his birdie. He’s -7 as well.
Brandt Snedeker has rattled in some long putts today. The latest, from 30 feet up the long par-three 6th, gives him a birdie that takes him to -5. He holds his putter in the air like a warrior, then gives up on the pose to laugh and shrug instead. Birdie for Dustin Johnson meanwhile at 12; he rises to +1 and the cut suddenly seems less scary.
Thanks again to Dr Miller, always on call to nurse my flagging motor skills. Here, this is turning into a very interesting tournament as the leader board concertinas up. JB Holmes rolls in a birdie putt on 4 to move to -6. A couple of top-five finishes in the majors last year for John Bradley. It wouldn’t be a huge shock were he to make the leap. Par for the leader Koepka meanwhile on 5. And Martin Kaymer is going very nicely right now. Birdies at 7, 9 and 11 have brought him to -3. He’s sent his tee shot at 12 up a bank to the right of the hole, but he’s punched a clever second out, sending his ball bumping onto the green in the old-fashioned Scottish style. He’ll save his par from there, surely. And the 2014 champion has quietly worked his way into contention. You have to admire his style.
And now, Scott Murray is back to take you home. Cheers!
...but he sends it to the right of the hole! He shakes his head, with the look of a man whose computer is broken and he can’t work out why. He puts the par away from a couple of feet, so at least he’s stopped the bleeding. For now.
Fowler desperately trying to spark something or other, and sends a fine drive down the 14th which grips on the green and spins back, almost into the hole. Close to an eagle, which would have taken him back to the top of the leaderboard. A birdie is still very much on though, with a putt of six or seven feet...
Are the wheels coming off for Fowler? After going 28 holes without a bogey, he’s now recorded three in a row, missing a fairly lengthy putt on 13 and he drops down to -6, and level third with Harman. On the same hole, Koepka finds himself in some strife in a bunker, but produces a nice shot to get himself back in business, overshooting the pin a little - but it’s preferable to lurking in the sand. He putts between two sprinklers from just off the green, gets to within five feet or so then sends that down to save par. Also on 13, Matsuyama sends down a belter from nearly feet - he’s still tied for sixth, but fairly remarkably that’s -7 on the day for the Japanese.
-8: Koepka (13*)
-7: Casey (F), Fleetwood (14)
-6: Fowler (13), Harman (13)
Down on 16, Charlie Harman - in third, currently - just doesn’t quite give a putt enough juice for a birdie, and has to settle for a par. Back in the field a little, both Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth don’t make reasonably tricky putts on 10.
And he needs a big glass of milk! The putt takes a trip around the lip of the hole, Fowler drops a shot and Koepka has the sole lead!
-8: Koepka (12*)
-7: Fowler (12), Casey (F), Fleetwood (13)
-6: Harman (13)
Hello again, world. Fleetwood’s putt on 13 slides just past the hole and he’ll have to settle for par and second place for now. But Fowler could be about to lend a hand - he undercooks a relatively straightforward drive from the middle of the fairway on 12, and his ball lands shy of the green. He rolls up to about five or six feet, and leaves himself with a mildly spicy putt - more of a jalfresi than a madras, but still...
The live coverage seems to have ground to something of a halt right now. A lot of chat, very little action. Which is odd, as Tommy Fleetwood recently clipped his tee shot at the par-three 13th pin high. He’ll have a good look at birdie and a share of the lead from 15 feet. And I’ll let your friend and mine, Nick Miller, have the honour of talking you through that one. See you again soon!
A bit of bother for the leader Rickie Fowler at 11. He’s wild with his tee shot. He then takes an aggressive line over the flag with his second and falls off the back of the green. He sends his chip behind the flag, hoping to use the banking of the green to send the ball back towards the cup. But it u-bends round way to the left, and he can’t knock in the 15-footer he leaves himself. Nearly, but not quite. He’s back to -8 and a share of the lead. Hideki Matsuyama then yips a tiddler for another birdie. Maybe that 62 was a pipe dream after all. He stays at -4. Meanwhile there’s a birdie for Tommy Fleetwood on 12, and the man from Southport is just one shot off the lead in the US Open!
-8: Fowler (11), Koepka (11*)
-7: Casey (F), Fleetwood (12)
-6: Harman (12)
Patrick Reed has been fairly quiet so far, level par through the first eight holes, a bogey at 6, a birdie at 8. But now he sends a gentle draw into the par-three 9th, the ball pitching six feet from the flag and stopping a couple of rolls short of a hole-in-one! What a gorgeous shot. He reaches the turn in 35, moves to -5, and has suddenly reminded everyone that he’s there. He’s alongside JB Holmes, who has hovered in quite a few majors of late, and has played the back nine in 34 today.
Brooks Koepka can’t make his long par saver across 1, and that’s only his second bogey of the week so far. He drops out of the lead, to -8. Meanwhile a long rake across 17 gives two-time champ Ernie Els yet another birdie. The veteran is -4, and suddenly the 1990s don’t seem such a long time ago.
-9: Fowler (10)
-8: Koepka (10*)
-7: Casey (F)
-6: Harman (11), Fleetwood (11)
The man from Wichita is lining up the birdies yet again. Chez Reavie played the back nine in 31 strokes; now he’s picked up shots at 1 and 2 as well. He’s seven under for his round through 11 holes, and with the wind down, we’re now obliged to start thinking about the first-ever 62 in major-championship golf. And if Reavie doesn’t manage it, how about Matsuyama, who is six under for his round after 10? OK, there’s a fair way to go yet. But c’mon! What’s the point in following sport if you’re not allowed to dream?!
Neither Fowler nor Matsuyama can make their birdie putts at 10. Never mind, pars all round. And there’s a fair chance Fowler will have the sole leadership in a moment anyway, because on 1, Koepka blasts out of the fescue and straight through the green. It’s difficult holding the chip coming back, and he faces a 25-footer to save his par.
Trouble for the co-leader Brooks Koepka at 1. He sends his second into deep fescue down the left. That’s marked out as a hazard, though he might get a swing at the ball. We’ll see. On 7, Martin Kaymer is very close to draining a long eagle putt from the fringe at the back. A birdie will do, and he’s back up to -1. Dustin has a fairly simple right-to-left glider from 12 feet for his birdie, but he doesn’t hit it. He’s still +1. And Jordan Spieth blasts out to five feet from a bunker, then knocks in the putt for his birdie. He’s -1.
A magnificent par save by Tommy Fleetwood at 10. His approach to the long par four finds the green, but kinks off to the left, down the ridge running through the playing surface. He’s left with a long two putts up a big slope for his par; he lags up to four feet and tidies up. He stays at -6. Coming behind, both Fowler and Matsuyama find the top tier where the pin is, and they’ll have mid-range chances for birdie. Pars should be a shoo-in, as much as they ever are at a US Open.
Fowler rolls his par putt into the centre of the cup. He reaches the turn in 34 strokes, not bad at all when you’re feeling the pressure at the top of a US Open leader board. Matsuyama follows him in, tidying up for a stunning outward-bound 30. They remain at -9 and -4 respectively.
The long par-three 6th takes a bite out of Jordan Spieth, who pushes a nervy par putt to the right. He drops back to level par and flashes his putter through the air in irritation. Dustin meanwhile makes a staunch 12-foot par saver to stay at +1. Up on 9, neither Matsuyama nor Fowler get close with their tee shots. Fowler has a decent look at birdie from the front of the green, the pin at the back, though he leaves himself a five footer coming back. Matsuyama is wide right, 35 feet from the pin. And he nearly makes the birdie, which would have seen him out in a record-equalling 29! But it shaves the right of the hole. He’ll have a bit of work coming back too.
Yet another birdie for Hideki Matsuyama! His sixth in eight holes! A fairly straight 25 footer, a little left-to-right slide maybe. But that was in all the way! He really does love a birdie blitz, does Matsuyama. That putter is either stone cold or piping hot. He’s -4 and right in this now. A birdie at 9, and he’ll match the US Open front nine record. Meanwhile Brian Harman has been relatively quiet today. Bogey at 5, birdie at 7. But he’s not far away from holing in one at 9. His ball pitches a couple of feet to the right of the cup, and he’s left with maybe a four footer for a birdie that’ll take him out in 35 and up to -6 overall.
Dustin very nearly tramlines a 30-footer for birdie at 5, but remains at +1. Ditto Martin Kaymer, who stays at level par (having bogeyed the 4th). Spieth makes it three pars out of three, failing to hit a straight 15-footer. He’s -1. None of these chaps are out of this US Open by any means, though all could do with a little birdie blitz somewhere along the line. They always help. None of them quite looking like men ready to seize the day. Yet. Plenty of time. Meanwhile Brandt Snedeker’s putter remains hot. He rolls one in from 20 feet on 17, and he’s nicely placed at -4.
Rickie Fowler’s shoulders were slumping a little. He’d been overhauled at the top of the leader board, and the spark of yesterday wasn’t quite in evidence. His chip into the par-five 7th wasn’t too great, and nearly fell off the back of the green. But now! He rakes in a huge right-to-left curler, a perfect read, the perfect pace. A birdie out of nothing, and he’s co-leader of this tournament again! His playing partner Hideki Matsuyama birdies in a very different manner, landing his approach a couple of feet from the pin and tapping in. He’s -3. Incidentally, in the group ahead, Tommy Fleetwood birdied this hole too, and is now very much a feature of the leader board!
-9: Fowler (7), Koepka (7*)
-7: Casey (F)
-6: Fleetwood (7)
JB Holmes nearly holes out from the middle of the 14th fairway. It was a delightful approach, the ball pitching a couple of feet behind the flag and spinning back. Nine times out of ten it would have surely serenely dropped into the hole, but this time it somehow span out. So unlucky, but he’ll have a tap-in for birdie that’ll take him to -5. Word meanwhile of Hideki Matsuyama, who did hole out from the fairway at 15 yesterday. He’s flying today, with birdies at 1, 2, 4 and 6. After a disappointing first-round 74, that’s catapulted him up the leader board to -2.
The hottest player out on the course right now: Chez Reavie. The Wichita man is lining up the birdies: four in a row between 11 and 14, then another at 16. He’s five under for his round and -2 overall. Meanwhile Dustin and Spieth pepper the flag at 4. Wedges to four and eight feet respectively. But while Spieth knocks his in, dead eyed, Dustin lets his slip away to the right. Spieth moves under par for the championship, while the defending champion stays at +1.
But not for long! Brooks Koepka clips his tee shot at the par-three 16th pin high. He’s got a 12-footer across the green. And in it goes! We have a new leader!
-9: Koepka (7*)
-8: Fowler (6)
-7: Casey (F)
Charley Hoffman leaves his tee shot at 9 a good 60 feet short of the hole. But he lags it up brilliantly. He really should escape with his par, but pushes a dismal putt to the right, the ball looping round the back of the hole and staying out. The crowd gasp in shock. He’s reached the turn in 33 strokes nevertheless, but dearie me. He drops back to -5. Fowler meanwhile chips rather than putts from the fringe at the front of the mammoth 6th green. He loops it straight at the flag, and rolls in the five footer he leaves himself. He’s still blemish free in this US Open, and still one of the tournament’s joint leaders!
A fine scramble on the long par-three 6th for Tommy Fleetwood. His tee shot sailed right of the green; a chip to six feet and solid putt later, and he’s escaped. He stays at -5. Coming behind, the co-leader Rickie Fowler leaves himself well short of the green; that’ll be a test to avoid his first bogey of the tournament. Meanwhile back on 3, Spieth and Dustin both knock in missable ten footers to save their pars and keep hold of their momentum. And up on 15, Koepka shaves the hole with a 15-foot birdie effort that would have given him the sole lead.
Brooks Koepka reaches the par-five 14th in two big bashes. He’s got a good look at eagle from 15 feet, but races the effort well past. No problem, he slots away the birdie putt coming back. And with a positive attitude like that, he isn’t going to die wondering. He joins Rickie Fowler in a tie for the lead at -8.
-8: Koepka (5*), Fowler (4)
-7: Casey (F)
-6: Hoffman (8)
Brandt Snedeker sends a right-to-left slider into the cup at 14 for birdie; he’s -3. Tommy Fleetwood very nearly drains a 60-footer on 5 for birdie, but he’ll be happy enough to stay at -5. Meanwhile the two-time champion Ernie Els rolls a 20-footer into the cup at 11; he’s -3. A doddle for the Big Easy right now.
Jordan Spieth is a dimple’s width away from guiding in a glorious left-to-right 25 footer for birdie on 2. He squats down and holds his head in his hands. And no wonder! How did that stay out? But it’s a birdie-birdie start for his partner Dustin Johnson, who bombs a drive to the fringe of the green, chips up to three feet, and taps in. He’s +1, and on the move! He’ll not have given up the defence of his title quite yet, no way. Meanwhile there’s another birdie for Charley Hoffman, this time at 7, and he’s bothering the business end of the leader board at -6.
Rory McIlroy speaks to Sky Sports. “It’s funny. Whenever you don’t have so much pressure on you, you can freewheel a bit and play with freedom. I really could have birdied every hole on the way in. It’s much better today. But it’s game time, it’s competitive rounds, and I’ve been very light on those this year. I’m looking forward to playing some golf over the summer and hopefully improve. I’ve no real concerns though I struggled in this championship.”
Rickie Fowler isn’t far away from knocking in a 25-footer for birdie on 4. Though in truth it never looked like actually dropping. He remains at -8. A bit of a lull on the course, so here’s a little admin from earlier. Eddie Pepperell finished very strongly, with birdies at 13, 14 and 17. He ended with a 71 that sits very nicely alongside yesterday’s 72. A slightly disappointing end to Matt Fitzpatrick’s day, though; a six at the last means he ended up with a 73. Both Englishmen are on -1 at the halfway stage.
Tommy Fleetwood repairs the damage of the opening hole with birdie at 4. He’s back to -5. Zach Johnson opens birdie-birdie and moves to -2. Meanwhile the marquee group back on 1 turn up the gas. The 2015 champion Jordan Spieth lays up, chips to six feet, and rolls in the birdie putt for a birdie that takes him back to level par. Dustin gets up and down from the bank without much fuss, and the birdie takes him to +2. And Kaymer misses his very gettable eagle putt, but he’d have taken an opening-hole birdie ten minutes ago, and he’s up to -1. A perfect start to the day for the three erstwhile winners.
Brooks Koepka clips his second at 12 to a couple of feet and taps in for birdie. He moves to -7, one shot shy of Rickie Fowler, who calmly pars 3. Back on 1, the 2014 champion Martin Kaymer lashes a fairway wood to six feet, one of the shots of the day. He’ll have a great look at eagle. Dustin toys with the fescue to the left of the green, but his ball stays out, and he’ll have a chance to get up and down for his birdie.
-8: Fowler (3)
-7: Casey (F), Koepka (3*)
Here comes the defending champion Dustin Johnson! And he blooters a monster down the track at 1. He’s got it all to do after an opening round of 75; he’ll be missing the cut as things stand. And if he does, this will be the first time the world number one, two and three have all gone home after two rounds of a major. To recap: number three Jason Day added a 75 to his first-round 79 today, +10 overall, while number two Rory McIlroy rallied marvellously with four birdies in the last six holes, though his 71 was no good at all after yesterday’s god-awful 78. Still, there’s a reminder of his singular talent; if he can get his competitive chops up ahead of Birkdale, anything is possible.
Rickie Fowler reclaims sole ownership of the lead! He eases a delightful wedge to six feet at 2, and knocks in the birdie putt. He’s -8. And that’s 17 putts from 17 inside ten feet this week so far. Xander Schauffele meanwhile tidies up for par on 18 and signs for a 73. The young man parred his way home after suffering that double bogey on 13, a very fine effort indeed. He’s -5 at the halfway mark. And how about his playing partner, the amateur Cameron Champ? It’s nominative determinism in full effect, because the 22-year-old American has signed for a 69. That goes alongside yesterday’s 70; he’s -5! Champion golf all right. And on 5, Charley Hoffman rolls in a 40-foot right-to-left drifter for his third birdie of the day. He’s -5 too.
-8: Fowler (2)
-7: Casey (F)
-6: Koepke (2*)
-5: Kim (F), Schauffele (F), Champ -a- (F), Hoffman (5), Harman (2)
Brooks Koepka makes an early move, draining a 25-footer on 11. He’s one behind Casey and Fowler at -6. A fast start to the second round for Charley Hoffman, who birdies 1 and 2 to move up to -4. But there’s no good news on the opening hole for Lee Westwood, who leaves himself a massive left-to-right breaker for his par. He seriously overcooks the putt, and he’s got a 12-footer coming back for bogey. He does very well to tuck that one away, limiting the damage. He drops to -2.
Thanks to Nick! So there’s something of a lull right now, as the morning wave crash into the clubhouse, while the afternoon lot get their gamefaces on. The joint leader Rickie Fowler had a long look at birdie on 1 but settled for par. Meanwhile Tommy Fleetwood, Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood, Everton’s Tommy Fleetwood, opened with an unfortunate bogey at 1. He’s steadied the ship by getting up and down from the side of the green at 2 for par. Onwards and upwards! He’s -4.
And now the much more capable Scott Murray is back, so he’ll be with you again for the next few hours. Enjoy!