Longhorns Golfer Scottie Scheffler in Contention at U.S. Open
Former Texas Longhorns golfer Scottie Scheffler played his way into contention during the second round of the U.S. Open, shooting a 2-under par 69 to move into a tie for 11th place after two rounds.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth and Dylan Frittelli barely made the cut.
Richard Bland and Russell Henley pace the field at 5-under.
Scheffler bounced back from a 1-over par 72 on Thursday, turning in a sharp, relatively consistent round. That started with a birdie at No. 1. He lost the shot at No. 5 with a bogey, but he finished the turn at 1-under for the day with a birdie at No. 9.
After a bogey at No. 10, Scheffler turned in birdies at No. 15 and No. 18 to put himself within four shots of the lead going into the weekend. Scheffler has never won a PGA Tour event or a major championship.
Spieth has a U.S. Open championship to his credit, but he will have to have an incredible tournament in order to leap into contention. After struggling to a 6-over 77 on Thursday, Spieth did play better on Friday, shooting his own 2-under 69 while playing alongside Scheffler, as he moved up to 4-over par for the Open.
Going out, Spieth had birdies on No. 4 and No. 5, signaling that he might have a surge in him as he made the turn. But he was even on the back nine, with two birdies and two bogeys. He did birdie No. 18, but he had a shot at eagle and at one point that missed opportunity might have kept him from making the cut line, which was project at 3-over. But the line moved just enough to keep Spieth in the event.
Frittelli had a steady 73 on Thursday. On Friday, he had a birdie and a bogey on the front side, the back nine was a bit of a roller coaster. He had a bogey on No. 11 and then another on No. 12, followed by a birdie on No. 13. Then, he had another bogey on No. 16, followed by a birdie at No. 17. Then, at No. 18, he finished off the round with a par, shooting a 1-over 72 to finish the 36-hole mark at 3-over par, allowing him to make the cut.
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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.