Rory struggles as Reed hits the front and Mad Scientist finds major formula
Patrick Reed tees off on the sixth hole during the second round at the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) in Mamaroneck, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (Darren Carroll/USGA)
Bryson DeChambeau suggested only "the Gods" know if his "bomb and gouge" strategy will yield a US Open win but Rory McIlroy may need some divine intervention to end his six-year major drought after crashing to a second-round 76 at a punishing Winged Foot.
It took a birdie four at his final hole from the gritty Patrick Reed to head the field on four-under but the "Mad Scientist” is lurking just a shot behind after combining his new-found brute strength and length from the tee with the deft touch of a surgeon, finishing with an eagle three to add a best of the day 68 to his opening 69 to get to three-under.
"That's a question for the Gods," DeChambeau said when asked if it were possible to overpower Winged Foot and claim his maiden major win.
"That's a question for God. I don't know if you can. I mean, Tiger has been able to do something like that many times before, so I think there is something. But human scientific research does not say anything about that."
For the moment, his quest will be to overhaul former Masters winner Reed, who made five birdies and five bogeys in a 70 to head the field by a shot.
After 21 players broke par on the opening day, just three managed it yesterday as a field averaged 75.1 compared to 72.5 as a brisk north wind, faster greens and tighter pins made the elite field suffer.
Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello and American Harris English shot 70s to share fourth on two-under with overnight leader Justin Thomas, who struggled to a three-over 73 while big-hitting Jason Kokrak was the only other player in the red on one-under after a 71.
McIlroy is far from out of it, tied for 22nd with the likes of Dustin Johnson on three-over-par. But he looked at times to have lost the plot as he struggled to cope with more demanding conditions, hitting just nine greens in regulation.
After opening with a 67, the Holywood star (31) beautifully birdied the first to get to four-under but then bogeyed the second and third, double-bogeyed the fourth and bogey the fifth to slither to two-over.
As Nick Faldo has pointed out, the Holywood star can look bulletproof in normal conditions but often looks like a player with no plan B when the examination becomes more complex.
He had a chance to eagle the ninth from 10 feet but had to settle for birdie, then mixed another birdie at the par-five 12th with bogeys at the 10th, 11th and 13th before steadying the ship with five straight pars to finish.
Reed, on the other hand, relished the conditions.
“I think, if anything, it's just because I love the grind,” he said after making a six-footer at the ninth to take the lead. “I love getting in there. I love when it's hard, when you have to be creative on all different golf shots.”
He now goes head to head with the so-called "Mad Scientist” DeChambeau who hit a respectable seven of 14 fairways in each of the first two rounds.
"I was driving it well, my iron play was impeccable," said the world No 9, who birdied the sixth, then followed a 379-yard drive down the ninth with a 179-yard wedge to six feet to finish his round in the red.
"When I got into trouble, I wasn't able to get out of it as well today as yesterday, but when I was in the fairway I was able to attack and take advantage, and I finished really well today."
Wedge play has been key for DeChambeau and he admitted that he took advice from six-time US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson on board when they practiced together earlier in the week.
"Phil gave me some great advice. He said when he almost won back in 2006, he said he had the best short game week of his life, so that's just a testament to showing that you have to have a great wedge game out here," he explained.
"I feel like my irons are great, the wedges are better, and short game needs to be worked on just a little bit. But I would say it's been good so far, and that's what I'm going to hopefully do this weekend."
Six-time runner up Mickelson (50) shot 74 to finish on 13 over and when asked he'd played his final US Open, he said: "I don't know."
Cabrera Bello shot 70 to get in on two-under but while Belgian Thomas Pieters picked up two birdies on the front nine to get to on six-under, he dropped six shots coming home to shoot 74 and slip back to level par alongside Xander Schauffele (72), Matthew Wolff (74), Brendan Todd (72) and Hideki Matsuyama (69).
Jon Rahm shot 72 to fall back to one-over alongside Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquim Niemann while World No 1 Dustin Johnson battle back to one-over with two holes to play after his opening 73 but bogeyed two of his last three holes to shoot 70 and remain very much part of the story on three-over.
As for Shane Lowry, he brilliantly birdied two of his last three holes to card a level par 70 and finish on the projected six-over cut line but Tiger Woods shot 77 and Graeme McDowell an 80 to bow out on 10-over and 16-over respectively.
Lowry dropped an early shot at the 11th, his second, birdied the par-five 12th but then dropped shots back to back at the 18th and first to slip to eight-over.
"To be honest, the wind was out of my sails then, and I thought that was it, done," Lowry said of those dropped shots around the turn.
He needed to pick up at least two shots coming in and got them by rolling in an eight footer for a two at the 148-yard seventh before hitting two great shots to the heart of the ninth to set up a two-putt birdie four.
"I was very disappointed in myself yesterday because I played great Tuesday, Wednesday, and I was very happy where my game was at,” he said. “I showed that today - 70 in those conditions today is actually pretty good.”
The Open champion admitted he’s looking forward to getting home after next week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open after admitted he lost his patience as he shot 76 in the opening round.
"When I start playing bad, I start trying too hard and start getting pretty annoyed out there and I struggle,” he confessed. "To be honest, not that I'm making excuses, I've just had a long stint away from home, and I'm just ready to get home at this stage and ready to get back to my family. Hopefully, I get two more days, but if not, I'll get a flight tonight or tomorrow."
