Collin Morikawa Charges Into Contention in U.S. Open Second Round
Former Cal golfer Collin Morikawa was in danger of missing the cut after his disappointing first round, but he bounced back in a big way in Friday’s second round of the U.S. Open.
Morikawa matched three other golfers for the best round of the day with a 4-under-par 67, leaving him at even par for the tournament at the Torrey Pines South course in San Diego. He is tied for 14th place, five strokes behind co-leaders Richard Bland and Russell Henley, who are at 5-under, one stroke ahead of Louis Oosthuizen and Matthew Wolff.
Bland, 48, is the oldest man to lead a U.S. Open at the halfway point since World War II.
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Morikawa's Friday scorecard:
Max Homa, the other Cal alumnus in the U.S. Open, was not as successful and missed the cut. He started well and was 3 under par after seven holes, but he had three bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine to finish with a 2-over-par 73 for the round and 7-over the first two rounds.
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Morikawa also started fast, but did not falter down the stretch. Things seemed dismal when Morikawa bogeyed the first hole Friday, leaving him at 5-over for the tournament. But he birdied five of the next eight holes, including four in a row from No. 6 through No. 9, to jump back into contention.
He parred every hole on the back nine to finish at 4-under for the day, the same as Bland, Bubba Watson and McKenzie Hughes for the day’s best round.
Watson is tied with pre-tournament favorite Jon Rahm (see video atop this story) at 3-under for the tournament, two strokes off the lead. Rahm shot a 1-under-par 70 to be right in the hunt entering the weekend.
Watson talks about his round:
The cut line was 4-over.
Other prominent players:
---Brooks Koepka had five bogeys Friday and shot a 2-over-par 73, putting him at even par for the tournament, tied with Morikawa five strokes off the pace.
---Xander Schauffele is three strokes behind the leaders after an even-par round Friday left him at 2-under for the tournament.
---Rory McIlroy is at 1-over heading into Saturday after carding a 2-over-par 73 Friday
---Dustin Johnson shot a 2-over-par 73 in the second round, giving him a two-day score of 2-over.
---Phil Mickelson is at 2-over for the tournament and tied for 32nd after firing a 2-under-par 69 on Friday. So he will be around for the weekend.
---Jordan Spieth made the cut despite a disastrous first round. He shot a 2-under 69 Friday with left him at 4-over after his round of 77 on Thursday.
---Bryson DeChambeau, the defending champ, fired a 2-under-par 69 on Friday and stands at even par for the two days, five shots off the lead.
---Viktor Hovland withdrew with an eye injury. He reportedly got sand in his eye during his warmup session Friday, according to Steve Sands of the Golf Channel. Hovland shot a 74 on Thursday at the South Course and then posted four bogeys in a five-hole stretch before making a double and withdrawing.
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Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY Sports
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