We are now halfway through the US Open, and we have an intense battle ahead of us at the top of the leaderboard.
Ludvig Åberg held on late to take the solo lead at 5 under. Åberg, playing in his first-ever U.S. Open, carded a 1-under 69 Friday at Pinehurst No. 2 to jump into the lead. Matteo Pavone nearly matched him, but a pair of late bogeys sent him two shots back.
Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy, who each shot 65 to open the week on Thursday, took a step back on what was a very hot Friday in North Carolina. Cantlay will enter move day at third alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Thomas DeTry.
McIlroy, who has not won a major in nearly a decade, will start Saturday with a two-point lead. He had a 2-over 72 on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler, who has been dominant all season, has barely hit the mark. He was looking at what would have been his first missed cut in 672 days. Schaeffler reached No. 5 over.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, is finished. He was down to 7 over for the week in what was his last missed cut on the tour.
Sepp Straka hit his first hole of the week at Pinehurst on Friday morning. Francesco Molinari then followed suit to make the cut on Friday afternoon.
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Leaderboard update
With most of the work now completed for the day, this is where things stand heading into Saturday.
Leaderboard update:
1. Auberge (-5)
T2. DeChambeau (-4)
T2. Detri
T2. Cantlay
T5. McIlroy (-3)
T5. Finaw
T5. Pavon
8. Matsuyama (-2)
Other notables:
T9. Scheufele (-1)
T37. Spieth (+3)
T57. Schaeffler (+5)
T57. Kopka
Notable lost parts:
Tiger wood
Max Homa
Viktor Hovland
Dustin Johnson
Justin Thomas
Phil Mickelson
Ludwig Aberg leads midway through the US Open
Without experience? No problem for Ludvig Åberg. He holds the solo lead at the halfway point of the US Open.
Click on the image to read more about the US Open leader. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
Matteo Pavon is backing down
Well, Åberg is alone at the top again. Matteo Pavone just bogeyed the 17th to fall to 4 under. He has one last chance to rejoin Åberg at the top tonight.
Tiger Woods is among those who missed the cut
“It’s frustrating because I’m not here for a chance to win this weekend.”
Tiger Woods is among those who missed the cut this week at Pinehurst No. 2.
Click on the image to read more about Tiger Woods’ latest missed pieces. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Åberg finished at 5 under
Although he stalled a bit at the end, shooting a late bogey on the 16th, Ludvig Åberg will enter Saturday tied for the lead. He finished with a 1-under 69 to get to 5-under, which tied him with Matteo Pavone.
Hole in one to make cuts
Francesco Molinari chose the absolute perfect time for his piercing. He hit his second ace of the day on No. 9, pushing him just inside the cut line!
Åberg returns to 5 less
Thanks to a bogey on the 16th, Ludvig Åberg is now tied with Matthieu Pavon at 5 under.
Tiger Woods finished the race in seventh place
Tiger Woods Week is now over. Woods finished at 7-over 73 after a 3-over 73 on Friday. This is two shots outside the expected cut line.
Woods has achieved this title at the US Open only once in the past decade.
Phil Mickelson is running out of chances at the US Open
Lefty has never achieved a US Open win, and it looks like he never will.
More from Jay Busby on the ground at Pinehurst:
Click on the image to read more about Phil Mickelson’s tough outing at the US Open. (Sean M. Havey/Getty Images)
Tiger to miss the cut
Well, this should do it. After landing a left drive through the trees at No. 16, Tiger just missed a 12-foot putt for par. He’ll drop to 7 more now, putting him two shots outside the cut line.
He won’t be playing tomorrow after all.
The Tiger stole at No. 15
Tiger made his birdie putt on the 15th. He even started walking towards the cup early. However, somehow, the ball took a deflection and he had to settle for a draw again. harsh.
He was now over six years old, and he no longer had time to enter the cutting line.
Pavon gets back into the mix
Matteo Pavon is there again too. He just made a deep birdie putt on the third to join Cantlay at 5 under for the week.
Cantlay gets one goal back
Patrick Cantlay is not leaving. He was just one shot away from the lead again after his final birdie.
Åberg’s lead is back to 2
Patrick Cantlay may have made a mistake in the 12th minute, but Ludwig Oberg played it perfectly. His lead was back to two shots now with six holes to go after his final birdie.
The tiger misses the opportunity to fly
Well, that might have been the best looking leopard today. He barely made a birdie look on the 13th, which keeps him in sixth place.
He needs at least one birdie over the next five holes to make the weekend.
Åberg is alone at the front again
Patrick Cantlay just came back after another bogey on the 12th. So Ludvig Åberg is in the lead alone at 5 under again.
Brooks’ brutal trilogy
Brooks’ third hole was terrible. After hitting his third shot into a bunker around the green, Koepka missed two makeable putts and had to settle for triple bogey. He is four years old now.
(USGA)
Another tiger ghost
Tiger barely missed a par putt on the 12th, so he’ll be down to 6 more now for the week. This pushed him outside the cut line with six holes left.
Kuuuuuuuch!
This was the bird huge Matt Kuchar. He is now inside the cut line after a perfect slice from the bunker.
Kooooooch! 🐥
One of only two players to compete in all four U.S. Open tournaments at Pinehurst is giving himself some breathing room. pic.twitter.com/Pfb702Mlwy
It took a few holes after that double, but Patrick Cantlay finally got his birdie. He made it so far for the day, returning to share the lead with Ludvig Åberg at 5 under.
