US Open Golf 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Friday Leaderboard Scores
Rickie Fowler held on to the 2023 US Open lead after Friday's second round, but it certainly was not an easy 18 holes for him at Los Angeles Country Club.
Fowler's two-under 68 featured eight birdies, six bogeys and just four pars.
Fowler's second round was a perfect example of how difficult LACC played as Friday went on.
The players in the afternoon wave of tee times struggled to match the low scores produced by Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy and others from the morning wave.
Clark and McIlroy both produced 67s to get within one and two shots of Fowler going into Saturday's third round. Clark will play with Fowler in Saturday's final pairing.
The leaderboard features an interesting mix of players like McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler, who we have seen countless times before in this spot, and others vying for their first major title and/or highest major finish.
If the sunny and windy conditions from Friday carry over into Saturday, the experienced players might end up with the edge.
Rickie Fowler's Rollercoaster Round
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Fowler ended up in the same spot on the leaderboard as he was after the first round, but the two rounds could not have been more different.
Fowler took advantage of favorable conditions on Thursday morning to roll in 10 birdies in a round that featured just two bogeys.
The 34-year-old experienced a rollercoaster Friday afternoon, as he fought to maintain some sort of lead while other golfers in the afternoon wave, like first-round co-leader Xander Schauffele, struggled to stay under par for the round.
Fowler's good news is that he had an answer for most of his shortcomings. He birdied three times on holes that directly followed a bogey and he only had one stretch of consecutive bogeys.
The successful battle against the course could prove to be valuable on Saturday, especially if LACC continues to play difficult.
The concern with Fowler's up-and-down round is that there were too many bogeys, and if that trend continues, he may sink down the leaderboard if there is a lack of birdies.
Everything Fowler displayed through 36 holes suggests he can bounce back from any challenge the course presents, but now the pressure will escalate as he goes into the weekend as the leader in search of his first major title.
Conditions Favored Friday's Early Wave
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CBS Sports' Kyle Porter pointed out the disparity in scoring between the two waves of tee times toward the end of Friday's second round.
The golfers who drew the Thursday afternoon-Friday morning tee times had nearly a two-stroke advantage on the golfers in the Thursday morning-Friday afternoon threesomes.
The scoring difference is very clear when you look at the top of the leaderboard.
Clark, McIlroy, Johnson, Harris English, Min Woo Lee, Sam Bennett and Cameron Smith all teed off on Friday morning. They put together a combined second-round score of 20-under.
Johnson was the only member of that group to not record an under-par round. He fought to shoot an even-par 70 after a quadruple-bogey on his second hole.
Fowler, Schauffele and Scheffler combined to shoot five-under from the afternoon wave. They had 12 bogeys between them, while six of the seven top-10 players from the morning wave recorded two bogeys or less.
The afternoon wave dealt with more sun and wind than the morning players, who had the marine layer from the coast covering the course.
The drop in scoring from Friday afternoon could continue into Saturday if the sun comes out for the leaders, and that may drop the potential winning score by a few strokes.
Rory McIlroy, Other Previous Major Winners in Great Shape
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McIlroy, Johnson, Scheffler and Smith are lurking in ideal positions to take advantage of any mistakes this weekend.
The quartet of previous major champions are anywhere from two to six shots back of Fowler entering Saturday.
Fowler, Schauffele and others have played in pressure-packed situations, but those two players specifically do not have major titles. The same can be said for Clark, English and Lee in the top 10 and Tony Finau in 11th place.
McIlroy, Scheffler and Smith all carded back-to-back rounds in the 60s. Johnson could have easily been in that group had he avoided his quadruple bogey.
The positioning of the previous major champions sets up a fantastic mix of storylines going into Saturday.
McIlroy is searching for his first major win in a decade, Johnson is aiming for his second US Open title, Scheffler is looking to reaffirm his status as the best golfer in the world and Smith is after his second major in two years, like Scheffler.
There is also the possibility of previous US Open champions Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau joining the mix at the top if they put together strong third rounds.
The US Open could go so many ways, and if the course hardens up more, we could be in for a battle between some of golf's most notable players come Sunday.
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