It’s moving day in North Carolina, and the U.S. Open newcomers are leading the way.
Ludvig Oberg shot a 1-under 69 on the second hole at Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Friday to enter Saturday’s tournament one stroke behind. Oberg is playing in his first U.S. Open and just a few months after his first major tournament appearance. If Oberg wins this week, he’ll become the first rookie to win the tournament in more than 100 years.
But Oberg’s lead didn’t last long. Matthew Pavone, who briefly shared the lead on Friday before suffering a pair of late bogeys, quickly overtook Oberg on the front nine holes on Saturday afternoon. Pavone recorded three birdies on the front nine holes to nearly tie his lowest score of the day before the turn, while Oberg held steady at even par.
But there are a lot of big names behind them, including Bryson DeChambeau, who took sole possession of the lead with a birdie on the 10th hole after a crazy 278-yard 6-iron approach, then made two consecutive birdies on the 11th hole after going into the woods for treatment on his back to extend his lead to two strokes.
Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau are also still in the running to win.
Pinehurst was a big winner early on Saturday. Few golfers were able to finish under par, with the early average hovering around 73. Collin Morikawa was the only exception, shooting a bogey-free 66 to get back to par, and depending on how the rest of the afternoon plays out, he could be in the top ranks on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler struggled again, saying the U.S. Open golf tournament was like a “mental torture chamber.”
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6 iron from 278
Bryson DeChambeau hit a 6-iron from 257 yards on a par 5 that was already 630 yards long. A 6-iron from 257 yards. Unfortunately, he only hit it 256 yards, one yard short of clearing the greenside trap.
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Finau’s nine strokes are far better than McIlroy’s
Tony Finau hit a great iron on the par-3 ninth hole, taking advantage of the slope to get it to within seven feet of the hole. It was a shot that even Rory McIlroy couldn’t match. Better luck next time, Rory!
Both players made putts, with McIlroy making the more difficult one to move to four under and Finau one stroke behind Pavon at five under.
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Bryson comes within one point
DeChambeau birdied the par-4 seventh hole to tie Aberg at 6 under par and move to within one stroke of Pavon.
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Bryson DeChambeau to attend autograph session
While most of the LIV players have fallen out of favor since moving to rival tours, Bryson DeChambeau has become one of the most well-liked (and now popular) players on both tours. But signing autographs during a round? These guys don’t even like to shake hands between holes, much less stop and pick up someone’s pen and sign something. But apparently DeChambeau has done it before.
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Pavon takes the lead
Mathieu Pavon had three birdies, including one from downtown on the seventh hole, to move into sole possession of the lead as a French player.
Pavon is unusually good at 3 under par for the round so far. Par today is a good score at Pinehurst. Nobody has shot a lower score than Collin Morikawa’s 66 today.
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Aberg scores a point
Ludvig Aberg’s first mistake came on the long par-4 fourth hole, when after a decent drive he missed the green with his approach and couldn’t get up and down.
Before Tony Finau bogeyed the sixth hole, there were three players tied for the top of the leaderboard: Aberg and Pavon.
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Pavon takes a step back
Mathieu Pavon caught up with Aberg and birdied the fifth hole to move to five under.
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Aberg breaks and gets birdie
Ludvig Aberg pulled his drive so far left on the driveable third hole that the bleachers were between his ball and the green line, giving him a free drop that he chipped on and immediately drilled a 28-foot birdie shot.
That should have given him a two-stroke lead at one point, but playing partner Bryson DeChambeau made a short birdie from 3 1/2 feet, but DeChambeau missed it.
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The Eagle and Tyrell Hatton
You have to take advantage of the par 5s. Pinehurst’s second hole has just two. That’s exactly what Tyrell Hatton did, reaching the green in two strokes on the fifth hole and drilling a 14-foot hole for eagle. That put Hatton at 4 under par, in the same group as McIlroy, Finau, DeChambeau and Pavon, all one stroke behind Aberg.
