U.s. Open: Wyndham Clark Sets Scoring Records At Shinnecock Hills

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark keeps leaving his people connected Shinnecock Hills, completing nan lowest first information successful a U.S. Open connected this people Friday greeting and mounting a 36-hole modular successful nan early day to build a four-shot lead complete nan early starters.

With truthful overmuch chaos astir him, Clark played a dependable manus — a acold outcry from wherever he was astatine nan U.S. Open past twelvemonth erstwhile he missed nan trim and smashed up a locker astatine storied Oakmont.

His past enactment was a 35-foot putt down nan slope connected nan 18th greenish that dropped for a 1-under 69. That put him astatine seven-under-par 133, 1 changeable amended than Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama astatine nan halfway constituent successful 2004 astatine Shinnecock Hills.

And he thinks he could beryllium better.

“I really felt for illustration I could beryllium successful double digits (under par),” Clark said. “But you know, nan awesome point astir that is I didn’t consciousness for illustration I had my best, and I still americium starring arsenic of correct now. Hopefully, I tin bring my A-game connected nan weekend.”

Xander Schauffele, pinch nan champion U.S. Open grounds of anyone without a U.S. Open title complete nan past 10 years, had a 66 to decorativeness astatine 137 on pinch Matt Fitzpatrick, a erstwhile U.S. Open champion who birdied 2 of his past 3 holes to salvage a 70.

The astir singular time belonged to Joaquin Niemann. He made a 9 connected No. 6 — his 15th and last spread of nan fog-delayed first information that was halted by acheronian — only for it to go an 11 erstwhile nan USGA penalized 2 shots for bad behavior.

Niemann deed 2 drives that were lost, chopped his measurement up nan fairway and yet mislaid it by heaving his club. The fields are cracking down connected behaviour this twelvemonth — nan Masters was nan first to usage nan argumentation this twelvemonth — and nan USGA deemed it superior capable to skip nan informing and spell consecutive to nan harsh two-shot penalty.

Niemann headed retired for his 2nd round, made 5 birdies successful six holes and changeable 65 to easy get wrong nan trim line. It was nan first clip successful 97 years astatine nan U.S. Open personification made 10 aliases worse successful a U.S. Open and still make nan cut.

“All nan vexation that came wrong maine and had my nine successful my hand, and I couldn’t defy to propulsion it away,” Niemann said. “There was nary people, obviously. No 1 there. I’m not proud of it, but yeah, sometimes each nan anticipation of trying to play good and things doesn’t spell your way, you get frustrated. And that was maine there.”

Dustin Johnson managed to support his caput during a meltdown connected nan backmost nine. Johnson, successful his last twelvemonth of U.S. Open exemptions from winning astatine Oakmont successful 2016, was 1 changeable down Clark arsenic they headed to nan tee astatine nan par-three 11th. He was 11 shots down erstwhile they reached nan 16th.

Johnson went from 1 bunker to nan adjacent for a double bogey connected nan 11th. And past connected nan 15th, he went from nan beforehand correct bunker to nan beforehand near bunker, near it successful that bunker, blasted it complete nan green, chipped connected and took 2 putts for a quadruple-bogey eight.

He attributed it to rocks successful nan sand. But he made birdie connected nan 16th and was apt to make nan cut.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy took their turns successful nan afternoon. The upwind wasn’t arsenic beardown arsenic Thursday, and while nan people was still comparatively soft by U.S. Open standards — greens were being sprayed successful nan early greeting — nan sun was retired and nan day figured to beryllium a beardown test.

It was a agelong time for Clark and nan different finishers because they had to return astatine 6:35 a.m. to resume nan first information — 10 hours aft they walked disconnected nan course.

Clark vanished pinch 2 pars for a 64, nan lowest commencement ever for a U.S. Open astatine Shinnecock Hills, and had a two-shot lead. He doubled that, and past waited to spot if anyone could make a tally astatine him.

He was connected a heater coming into Shinnecock Hills, winning The CJ Cup Byron Nelson pinch a 60 successful nan last round, contending successful nan Memorial and nan Canadian Open nan past 2 weeks. Frustration peaked a twelvemonth agone astatine Oakmont and successful nan months that followed. Now, he appears to beryllium much comfortable pinch each day.

Schauffele has 7 apical 10s successful his 9 U.S. Open appearances, a Californian who keeps his cool moreover amid a reliable test.

“It’s a sadistic week,” Schauffele said. “Everyone watching astatine location wants to spot guys shooting successful nan 80s and doing crazy things. I get it. You know, it’s erstwhile a twelvemonth you get to spot immoderate carnage, and it’s astatine a U.S. Open. Try to clasp it arsenic overmuch arsenic you can.”