It’s moving day in North Carolina, and we started with a US Open rookie in mind.
Ludvig Åberg entered Saturday with a one-shot lead over the field after his 1-under 69 Friday at No. 2 Pinehurst in North Carolina. He is playing in his very first US Open and is only a few months away from his first appearance in a major championship. If he can pull off a victory this week, he would be the first tournament rookie to do so in over 100 years.
Åberg’s lead did not last long, however. Matthieu Pavon, who briefly held part of the lead on Friday before a few late bogeys hurt him, quickly overtook Åberg on the front nine on Saturday afternoon. Pavon made three birdies on his first nine, almost matching the lowest round of the day before making the turn, while Åberg held on to tie.
There are plenty of big names behind them, though, including Bryson DeChambeau – who took a solo lead with his birdie at No. 10, after a ridiculous approach that saw him go 278 yards with a 6-iron. pushed his lead to two shots with a second straight birdie at No. 11, which only came after he went into the woods to work his hip.
Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau are also still in the game.
Saturday morning, Pinehurst was the big winner. Very few golfers managed to score under par and the average early score was around 73. Collin Morikawa was the only exception. He posted a bogey-free 66, which brought him into a tie. Depending on the rest of the afternoon, he could be up there Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler, on the other hand, struggled once again. U.S. Open golf, he says, is like a “mental torture chamber.”
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Iron 6 from 278
Bryson DeChambeau has just hit a 6 iron to 257 yards on a par 5 that is already 630 yards. A 6-iron from 257. Alas, he didn’t hit it until 256, a yard short of clearing the trap at the edge of the green.
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Finau’s shot at 9 is much better than McIlroy’s.
Tony Finau hit a brilliant iron into the par-3 9th hole, using the slope to get to within seven feet of the hole. It was a thing of beauty that Rory McIlroy simply couldn’t match. Better luck next time, Rory!
Both drained their putts, McIlroy with the more difficult one, pushing it to 4 under and Finau to 5 under, one behind Pavon.
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Bryson close to 1
DeChambeau stole a birdie at the par-4 seventh to join Aberg at 6 under, just one behind Pavon.
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Bryson DeChambeau signs autographs
While almost every LIV player has become persona non grata since joining the rival tour, Bryson DeChambeau has managed to become one of the most likeable (and now popular) players on both tours. But signing autographs while on tour? These guys don’t even like to punch between the holes, let alone stop, grab someone’s pen and sign something, but apparently that’s what DeChambeau did earlier.
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Pavon in the lead
Three birdies from Matthieu Pavon, including one from downtown at No. 7, put the Frenchman alone in the lead.
At 3 under in his round thus far, Pavon is the outlier. Par is a good score today at Pinehurst. No one went lower than Collin Morikawa’s 66 earlier in the day.
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Aberg returns one
Ludvig Aberg’s first slip occurred at the long par 4 fourth. After a decent drive, he missed the green well before his approach and was unable to get up and down it.
This made it a three-way tie atop the leaderboard until Tony Finau bogeyed the sixth. So that’s Aberg and Pavon at the top.
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Pavon steps back
Matthieu Pavon kept pace with Aberg, making a birdie at the fifth to bring him back to 5 under.
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Aberg gets a break and a birdie
Ludvig Aberg pulled his drive on the third driveway to the left, just enough for a stand to be between his ball and his line to the green. So he got a free drop, chipped and then quickly drained a 28-footer for birdie.
That should have given him a brief two-shot lead, until playing partner Bryson DeChambeau cleaned up a short 3 1/2 feet for birdie. Except… DeChambeau missed it.
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Tyrell Hatton with the eagle
You have to take advantage of the par 5s — there are only two at Pinehurst No. 2 — and that’s exactly what Tyrell Hatton did, reaching the green at No. 5 in two, then rolling a 14-footer to the Eagle. That puts him at 4 under, in a group that includes McIlroy, Finau, DeChambeau and Pavon who are behind Aberg.
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Rory, Finally just a return
Rory McIlroy pulls back after a birdie at third. That followed playing partner Tony Finau’s birdie at the second to bring him back to 4 under and one back.
While the third played just 316 yards, McIlroy’s second came from the greenside bunker.
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Cantlay saves
Patrick Cantlay started his round with a bogey, putting him back two points, then faced a 21-footer to save par at the second. An early bogey-bogey has the power to derail a round in a hurry, but Cantlay couldn’t do it, hammering the putt straight into the hole.