US Open Leaderboard 2015: Saturday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions
Ryder Cup partners Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed lead the way on five-under at the halfway point of the 2015 U.S. Open, with the Americans posting impressive totals on a gruelling second day at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.
Masters champion Spieth looked to be in imperious form on his way to a three-under 67, with the putter once again proving red-hot.
Reed, meanwhile, closed out an up-and-down day in which he carded just six pars with a 69 to stay with his compatriot at the top of the tree.
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Here’s a look at the leaderboard with two rounds to play:
Spieth Shines with Tiger in Turmoil
World No. 2 Spieth is looking like the man to catch at the 2015 U.S. Open, as he demonstrated on Friday that he has what it takes to chalk up his second major.
The ball-striking was impeccable, the short game sublime, and if Spieth found himself in a spot of bother, the putter was there to come to the rescue.
Scintillating flat stick play was the catalyst behind the 21-year-old’s victory at Augusta National, and if he continues in this vein his trophy cabinet could fill up sooner rather than later.
Spieth sat on seven-under for the tournament on the 17th on Friday after chalking up six birdies and one bogey, but he was then dealt a cruel blow by the treacherous 18th.
The 514-yard hole is a controversial and incredibly unforgiving par four, and not even the brilliant Spieth could tame it, as he made double bogey to move back to five-under overall on his final hole of the day.
The American was visibly frustrated as he racked up the six, and said after the round that making the 18th a par four doesn’t make a lot of sense, via the Associated Press' Doug Ferguson:
That much was a popular opinion, too, as Englishman Lee Westwood’s triple-bogey seven on the last led him to criticise the setup:
Even so, Spieth’s three-under round was good enough to see him go into the weekend at the top of the leaderboard with Reed.
Reed, who signed for a 69 on Friday, also looks in good shape for the coming days, although he’ll need to improve his work around the green if he’s to take the title.
Speaking after his round, the 24-year-old lamented what could have been in Round 2, before looking ahead to what he hopes will be a successful weekend, via Ewan Murray of the Guardian:
"I actually felt it was a pretty disappointing round. To have five or six bogeys, I didn’t get up and down once, I was zero per cent on up-and-downs today. But we’re in a good position and we hopefully can have a good weekend and have a chance to win. Anytime I play with Jordan I enjoy it. The main thing for me is to stay focused and focus on what I need to do to play some good golf. And plot my way around this golf course, especially if it gets firmer and faster.
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As Reed says, playing with Spieth is enjoyable for him, and that could well see this year’s U.S. Open become a two-horse race.
We saw during the 2014 Ryder Cup that the American duo bring the best out of each other, and depending on Saturday’s conditions, they could well pull away from the pack.
Should that happen, friendships will then be cast aside as Spieth and Reed battle it out for one of golf’s biggest prizes.
Elsewhere, Tiger Woods bowed out of this year’s competition with a whimper, as he carded a six-over 76 to go 16-over par overall.
He wasn’t quite as wayward off the tee and inconsistent with his irons as on his 10-over opening day, but he still looked out of sorts on a course that eats up any unconfident player.
Spanish star Pablo Larrazabal reflected on just how tough it is out there at Chambers Bay with a tongue-in-cheek tweet:
We’ll leave the Woods criticism to the Twitter world, but the fact that it was his highest ever 36-hole total speaks volumes. Per Golf Channel:
Back to the right end of the leaderboard now, as Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace are leading the chasing pack behind Spieth and Reed.
Johnson’s one-over 71 was a round that could have been, as three late bogies prevented him from topping the charts at the halfway stage.
South African Grace, meanwhile, flew the European Tour flag tremendously, as four birdies and an eagle fired him up the leaderboard with a round of 67.
Saturday is traditionally known as moving day in a tournament, and the chance is there for someone to surge towards the top with a strong round.
The likes of Jason Day—who is hoping to overcome a health scare to continue the tournament, per Jayson Janks of the Seattle Times—and Henrik Stenson are more than capable of mounting a charge, while the tournament still isn’t over for Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, who sit at three- and four-over, respectively.
If there’s any course that can spring a surprise, it’s Chambers Bay. We could feasibly see Spieth and Reed shoot in the 80s and spectacularly fall from grace, or indeed witness a player who narrowly made the cut go on to win.
On such a demanding stage, quite simply anything can happen. The front-runners need to keep their focus, while the chasing pack need to go hard. Two mouth-watering days now lie ahead.
Prediction: Jordan Spieth to narrowly win the 2015 U.S. Open
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