Burns leads US Open, McIlroy squeaks into weekend

Sam Burns earned the halfway lead at the US Open on Friday to boost his hopes of a breakthrough at Oakmont Country Club, where Rory McIlroy battled late to make the weekend and holder Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut.

Burns went out early from the 10th tee and covered the punishing Oakmont layout with the low round of the week, a sizzling five-under-par 65 that put him at three under and one shot clear of overnight leader J.J. Spaun (72).

The only other player under par is Viktor Hovland, who is alone in third place and two shots back of Burns after a two-under 68 that included a chip-in for eagle from behind the green at his eighth hole, the par-four 17th.

Burns, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, ran into trouble at his final hole where an errant tee shot forced him to take a penalty drop but left his next shot on the green and then curled in a 22-foot, left-to-right putt up the hill to save par.

"Honestly, I didn't really think of a score," said Burns, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who lost in a playoff last week in Canada.

"The golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what's a good score and what's not. You're really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can."

Spaun had led Burns, who finished hours earlier, by one shot with four holes to play but fell back after a three-putt bogey at the 15th, where his birdie attempt raced by the cup, and another dropped shot at the par-three 16th.

A determined Spaun, who was the only player to go bogey-free on Thursday, drew level with a 22-foot bounceback birdie at the 17th but was unable to scramble for par at the last after finding the rough behind the green.

"I knew it would be hard to back up a bogey-free four-under at Oakmont in the U.S. Open. So I'm just glad that I kept it together," said Spaun. "Kind of fell asleep on the back nine towards the end there, but responded with a nice birdie on 17."

Play Suspended

Adam Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, carded a second consecutive even-par 70 and was three shots off the pace and in a two-way share of fourth place with Ben Griffin (71).

For the first time since 2021, there will be no players with at least one US Open title on his resume among the top five and ties after 36 holes, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Play was suspended due to lightning with 13 golfers still on the course in a driving rain, including Thriston Lawrence, who was looking at a three-foot par putt on his final hole to stay at one over on the week when the horn sounded.

"Just about when I was going to take my putt, the siren sounded," said Lawrence. "A bit frustrating in that sense, but those are the rules."

The South African made a fast start to his round and reached six under par for the week after four holes to build a three-shot lead before sliding back.

Frustarted Mcilroy

McIlroy, struggling to regain his form ever since winning the Masters, was in a fight to make the cut after two early double-bogeys and launched a club in frustration after mis-hitting his approach shot at the 12th.

McIlroy's chances did not look good when, at the drivable par-four 17th, he sent his ball into the rough before promptly destroying the nearby tee box with a violent swing of his club.

The Northern Irishman managed to par the hole and then closed with a birdie to make the cut with a shot to spare after his approach shot caught a ridge and rolled to a stop four feet from the hole. He enters the weekend nine shots off the lead.

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who came into the week looking to become the first back-to-back US Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, was not so lucky as he carded a seven-over 77 that left him at 10 over for the week.

Pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler, fresh off the worst first-round score relative to par of his major career, mixed four birdies and five bogeys for a one-over 71 that left him at four over on the week.

"Today was, I think, with the way I was hitting it, was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there," said Scheffler, who will start the third round seven shots back.

"I'm four-over. We'll see what the lead is after today, but around this golf course, I don't think by any means I'm out of the tournament."