Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Seen & Heard” video sequence, during which we provide you with an inside have a look at golf’s greatest occasions by the eyes and ears of our onsite crew. On deck this week: the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Let’s go!
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We’ve got hit the midway mark on the U.S. Open the place a few of the recreation’s finest have risen to the highest of the leaderboard, whereas others are going house early.
Whereas all three of them made the lower, a lot of the drama Friday morning surrounded the U.S. Open’s “Tremendous group” of the top-three gamers on this planet, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.
All three bumped into bother on the Par-5 fifth throughout Spherical 2, the best gap. Scheffler and Schauffele tried to hit miracle flop photographs and failed, resulting in double bogeys. McIlroy, from an analogous place hit a low operating shot and made a nine-footer for par. Our James Colgan referred to as the chip a “most fascinating shot.”
“That again left gap location on 5 is fairly treacherous,” stated McIlroy, whose 72 left him at three beneath, two off the lead. “In case you miss it left there in any respect, clearly you noticed what Xander and Scottie did. After sealing their two makes an attempt, I used to be fairly pleased with mine simply to get it over the opposite facet of the inexperienced and get it up-and-down for five.”
Elsewhere, Josh Berhow was following Tyrell Hatton, who on Thursday, went viral for a few of his feedback about his mindset within the U.S. Open.
After finsihing the opening two rounds at one beneath, good for a tie for ninth, Berhow requested Hatton for his take on why the remark went so viral.
“I believe everybody is aware of me nicely sufficient by now to know what I’m like on the golf course, that I’m fairly trustworthy,” Hatton stated. “I’ll simply say it how it’s.”
Deep within the “bowels of the Pinehurst clubhouse” Alan Bastable sought out the person who induced fairly a stir on social media Thursday: Anthony Montanez . He’s higher recognized resident U.S. Open barber this week and the man who gave Scheffler his recent lower earlier than Spherical 1.
‘We delivered’: Scottie Scheffler’s U.S. Open barber defends viral haircut
“The humorous half about it’s, everybody retains calling it the ‘excessive and tight,’ which as barbers makes us crack up as a result of it’s solely a 3 on the edges,” Montanez stated. “It’s nowhere close to a ‘excessive and tight.’ Simply the tapered again makes it appear like that.”
In case there was any debate, Montanez felt good concerning the lower.
“We delivered,” he stated.
Again within the media heart, Sean Zak requested Bryson DeChambeau, who fired a 69 Friday to get inside a shot of the lead at 4 beneath, how he felt concerning the followers seemingly rooting for gamers to battle at U.S. Opens.
“I simply noticed once we have been on 10, Sepp Straka made a hole-in-one, proper? Proper behind us,” DeChambeau stated. “That was a excessive, tremendous excessive, and it was actually cool to feed off that vitality. Then I see guys ping-ponging it across the greens out right here, and it’s like, I don’t wish to watch that.
“So for the followers it’s nice. It’s tremendous entertaining. I don’t wish to be on the incorrect facet of it, albeit it’s going to occur a number of instances out right here.”
However Friday can also be about who received’t be round for the weekend and that features the largest identify within the discipline: Tiger Woods.
Woods began Spherical 2 robust, with a birdie on the 4th to climb two photographs contained in the cutline, however he stumbled house to a 73 and missed the lower by two photographs.
Tiger Woods made somber admission after U.S. Open missed lower
Then he admitted he wasn’t positive if this week was his final U.S. Open.
“So far as my final Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that’s,” the 48-year-old three-time U.S. Open winner stated. “It could or might not be.”
However the 36-hole chief this week is Ludvig Aberg. Aberg has appeared like something however a participant making his U.S. Open debut this week, however he has performed Pinehurst No. 2 earlier than, in a U.S. Novice. He referred to as it essentially the most difficult course he’s ever performed.
And it’s solely getting more durable as Sean Zak factors out, the course is changing into fully baked out from sunshine. Inexperienced speeds are operating north of 13 on the stimpmeter already.
The weekend on the 2024 U.S. Open is upon us
To atone for all of the GOLF crew’s actions at Pinehurst, take a look at the complete Seen & Heard playlist under — and keep tuned for extra Seen & Heard all through the week.
