Looking ahead to the second round of the 2024 US Open

Marc Schlabach

Close

Marc Schlabach

Senior ESPN Writer Senior College Football Writer Author of seven college football books Graduated from the University of Georgia

Paolo Uggetti

Jun 13, 2024, 09:36 PM ET

PINEHURST, N.C. — Pinehurst No. 2's lightning-fast greens, steep drop-offs and difficult-to-access areas showed their teeth in the first round of the 124th U.S. Open on Thursday.

So much so that the world's number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler, finally looked human by posting a 1-over 71, while many of the world's best players were left scratching their heads after posting even higher numbers.

With temperatures expected to be even warmer on Friday, second round conditions could be even more daunting as the greens and fairways firm up even more.

“Yeah, it's really tough,” said England's Tyrrell Hatton, who had a 2-under 68. “Definitely, like where the pins are, you can hit a good shot. Keep it on the green from 20 feet away is a great shot, which is crazy to say when you hit a wedge into the green type thing.

“It's just about trying to accept that pars are a good score. Even if you can get to the green, two putts are not that simple. Yeah, it's just a very difficult test.”

They will all be chasing Patrick Cantlay, who is looking for his first major championship victory, and Rory McIlroy, who is trying to get his first victory in almost 10 years. They set the pace at 5 under 65.

Here's what to watch for in the second round of the US Open:

Cantlay in a whole new place

For the first time in his career, Cantlay found himself at the top of the leaderboard in a major championship after the first round with a score of 5 under that day. In fact, Cantlay has only been in the top 10 twice after the first day of a major: at the 2022 Masters and the 2019 PGA Championship. His best finish was at the latter, where he finished tied for third.

Patrick Cantlay heads into the second round of the 124th US Open tied with Rory McIlroy for first place in the rankings. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

After his friend Xander Schauffele won this year's PGA Championship, it is now possible to demonstrate that Cantlay is one of the best players in the world without a major victory.

Cantlay has eight PGA Tour victories in his career and is one of the most prolific players on the tour. And yet, his major album leaves something to be desired. This year, he finished tied for 22nd at the Masters and 54th at the PGA Championship.

There's still a lot of golf left to play, but Cantlay has immediately moved into first place. Whether he can maintain it on Friday, let alone through Sunday, is another matter.

Top stories of the week

Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles per year from top writers.Ultimate Guide to NBA Free Agency for 30 Teams MLB All-Star Predictions and Complete Lists Ranking Tom Brady's Best and Worst Plays More ESPN+ content

On Thursday, Cantlay hit nine of 14 fairways and just 10 of 18 greens. It was his short game (3.8 strokes gained in this area) and his putting (only 23 putts total!) that fueled his round of 65, tied for the lowest ever at Pinehurst No. 2 in a major.

“I knew going out at 7:40 it might be the easiest game of the week,” Cantlay said. “With the lack of wind and probably the gentlest wind, we'll see it. I'm really happy with the round I played today.”

At first glance, Cantlay's path to staying at the top of the rankings does not appear sustainable. Sure, you're not going to hit too many greens in regulation at Pinehurst No. 2 anyway, but you also won't need just 23 putts to get around the course. If Cantlay's putter can stay hot and his short game precise, he won't be disappearing anytime soon.

Will No. 2 Pinehurst play even stronger the rest of the week?

The first day on Donald Ross's playground for the world's best players featured a little bit of everything. We've seen players struggle to keep their shots on the green, move from bunker to bunker, wipe out entire clumps of grass with their approach shots, and fall victim to the course's most diabolical contours and challenges. .

We also saw 15 players shoot under par – a reminder that no matter how difficult the setup, these guys are really good. That's the same figure that was below par after the first round of the 2014 US Open here.

Even after just one day, it's evident that Pinehurst's start is powerful. The four holes that were the most difficult on the golf course on Thursday were all part of the first eight holes of the course. No two played harder than the 528-yard par-4 fourth hole and the 228-yard par 3. Both played nearly half a shot over par.

Fourteen players shot under par in the first round of the 124th U.S. Open at No. 2 Pinehurst. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

“There's always going to be someone who has the kind of day and hits the ball well, everything goes his way, makes a few bombs and you can shoot,” said Sergio Garcia, who finished at 1 under, said. “Are we going to see it regularly? If it doesn't rain, I don't think so. You might see someone, yeah, shoot another 66 or 65 or something like that, but ultimately I think As the course gets even firmer, even faster, and a little bit of breeze picks up here and there, it's going to be difficult to achieve those kinds of scores.”

It will be fascinating to see how the USGA treats the rest of the golf course from here on out. Green speeds fluctuated between 13 and 14 on the Stimpmeter Thursday and if the golf course gets firmer, those speeds could become much more difficult to manage as the week goes on.

What should Tiger do? Woods posted a disappointing 4-over 74 in the first round of the US Open. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

After posting a disappointing 4-over 74 in the first round, 15-time major champion Tiger Woods hoped to take to the green on Thursday to try to clean up. After making a 12-foot birdie on No. 10, his first hole, and two fine par saves on Nos. 12 and 13, Woods' putting was too inconsistent on the lightning-fast greens of Pinehurst No. 2.

He made three bogeys on Nos. 17 and 1. The three-time US Open winner missed a 4-footer for par on the par-4 fourth. To his credit, Woods made par saves of 9 feet and 18 feet , respectively, on numbers 6 and 7, or the round could have been worse.

Editor's Choice

2 Related

“I’d like to make some putts,” Woods said after his round. “My speed wasn't quite there. I think I three-putted, what, two or three times today? If I clean that up, if I get a few iron shots not as loose as I , I'm here right by.”

That continues to be Woods' dilemma at major championships since he returned to competitive golf after suffering serious injuries to his right leg in a car crash in February 2021. He is reluctant to speed things up too much before a major one, for fear of not being able to recover in time from another injury.

But playing less golf left him searching for answers about his putting due to his lack of repetitions.

“I'm getting better physically as the year goes on,” said Woods, who will try to avoid missing the cut at his second consecutive major tournament. “I just haven't been able to play as much because I don't want to get hurt first.[tournament]then I won't be able to play in the major championships.

“It's pick your poison, right? Play a lot with the potential to not play, or not play and fight less sharply.”

Work to do Friday

In addition to arguably having the most difficult layout among the four major championships, the US Open also has the most difficult 36-hole cut. Only golfers with the best 60 scores and ties will be present for the final 36 holes this weekend.

The PGA Championship and Open Championship feature 36-hole cuts with top 70 scores and ties. The Masters saves the top 50 scores and ties for the weekend, but the first major of the season has a much smaller field than the 156 players at the U.S. Open.

There were 64 golfers at 2 over or better after the first round.

Phil Mickelson scored 9 overs in the first round of the US Open. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

There are a lot of big-name players who have a lot of work to do if they want to make it to the final two rounds. Defending FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland, whose game finally showed signs of life with a solo third at the PGA Championship, was no match for No. 2 Pinehurst on Thursday, posting a score of 8 out of 78.

Along with Woods and Hovland, they include: Phil Mickelson (over 9), Justin Thomas (over 7), Sahith Theegala (over 7), Will Zalatoris (over 5), Dustin Johnson (over 4), Shane Lowry (4 over), Justin Rose (3 over), Cameron Young (3 over), defending champion Wyndham Clark (3 over), Sam Burns (3 over) and Matt Fitzpatrick (3 over).

The problem with trying to make up ground at No. 2 Pinehurst, Woods said, is that you can get yourself into a lot of trouble when you put pressure on trying to make things happen.

“It can go so far the other way, the wrong way,” Woods said. “It's so hard to come back. It's a golf course that doesn't give up a lot of birdies. It gives up a lot of bogeys and then some.”

What about amateurs? Ohio State's Neal Shipley leads the way in the race for the Jack Nicklaus Medal. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

There could be a very good battle this weekend for the Jack Nicklaus Medal, which goes to the lowest amateurs, with Ohio State's Neal Shipley once again in a tie for the lead.

You may remember Shipley from The Masters; he was the low amateur with 12-over 300 and beat Woods by 4 shots in a dual Sunday at Augusta National. He made four birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey in the first round at No. 2 Pinehurst.

“Knowing that I’m comfortable here is just huge,” Shipley said. “Knowing that I can compete on tough golf courses against the best in the world and qualify. It's huge to know that when I get here I have the ability to play well.”

Duke's Bryan Kim (2 over), Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent (3 over) and UCLA's Omar Morales (3 over) are also in the mix.

Sargent earned tour status for this season through the PGA Tour University accelerated program, but opted to return to Vanderbilt for his senior season. He deferred joining the tour until June 2025.

Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech, who spent two years in the Republic of Singapore Navy, was 5th after the first round. He won an individual NCAA title at Georgia Tech on May 27. He earned invitations to the US Open and Masters in April 2025.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/40345999/us-open-2024-second-round-look-ahead The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos