Collin Morikawa shared the lead following a thrilling second round at the US Open on Friday, while title holder Jon Rahm and tournament favorite Rory McIlroy were one stroke back on a star-studded leaderboard.
Morikawa, a 2 significant champion, scored the day’s low round of four-under-par 66, placing him at five-under 135 for the week at The Country Club outside Boston, level with little-known American qualifier Joel Dahmen, who shot 68.
“No one has taken it deep and kind of run away,” Morikawa said. “But you know what, right now my game feels extremely strong,” he said. Morikawa is the only player in the world’s top 10 who has yet to win on the PGA Tour this season.”The last few days have given me a lot of strategy going into this weekend, and maybe we’ll be able to distinguish ourselves in some way.”
World number two Rahm (67) improved his position on the leaderboard, while McIlroy (69) recovered from a poor start to tie for third place on 136 with Hayden Buckley (68), and Aaron Wise (68), and Beau Hossler (67).
A group of five golfers, led by reigning Masters winner and world number one Scottie Scheffler (67), were a further shot off the pace, setting the stage for a wild weekend at Brookline.
While a record with the world’s leading players within two shots of the lead is a fan’s fantasy heading into a major weekend, even Rahm is looking forward to competing against his peers on one of golf’s grandest stages.
“It’s enjoyable for all of us because we all want to fight against and beat the best, and it’s certainly more enjoyable to watch,” Rahm added. “It’s excellent for the game of golf that the best players and highest-ranked players are up there, especially in tournaments where the best player genuinely wins.”
