US Open 2015 Leaderboard: Real-Time Updates for Saturday Leaders at Chambers Bay
We have quite a wild U.S. Open on our hands through 36 holes at Chambers Bay.
Friday saw a big shift atop the standings, as Day 1 leaders Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson posted over-par rounds of 74 and 71 respectively to pave the way for a familiar name to take the tournament's top spot alongside Patrick Reed: Masters champion Jordan Spieth.
While there was plenty of movement near the top of the leaderboard, some interesting results occured below the cut line. Among the names who didn't make the 36-hole cut at Chambers Bay are Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and, perhaps most notable of all, Tiger Woods.
Woods shot a historically bad 10-over 80 to start the U.S. Open, and he followed up his worst score in the tournament with a six-over 76 on Friday, moving to 16 over through 36 holes and missing the cut by a whopping 11 strokes. His days as a major contender appear to be numbered.
Enough talk of struggles at Chambers Bay—let's talk highlights.
Before we get into some analysis surrounding the tournament's leaders through two rounds, let's take a look at the updated U.S. Open leaderboard.
Updated U.S. Open Leaderboard
The full tournament standings can be viewed at USOpen.com.
Analyzing Top Scorers After Round 2
Jordan Spieth
That's right, Spieth is leading a major yet again. The 2015 Masters champion continues to be one of the world's most consistent golfers, and he followed up his 68 in Round 1 with a 67 on Friday thanks to accurate driving, great iron play and a red-hot putter.
Spieth was on fire right out of the gate in Round 2, hitting a perfect drive on the par-four 10th—his first hole—and following it up with an approach that settled just six feet from the hole. He went on to knock in the short putt for an opening birdie. After three consecutive pars, the world No. 2 heated up again.
A bombing drive on the par-four 14th set up a solid approach that rested 15 feet from the pin. Spieth flushed the putt for yet another birdie. His putter remained hot on the par-three 16th, as he stroked home a beautiful 24-footer for birdie. A great tee shot on the par-three 17th put Spieth in position to knock in an 11-foot putt for his third birdie in four holes.
Unfortunately, his opening nine didn't end swimmingly, as he took a double bogey on the 514-yard, par-four 18th after an errant tee shot put him in early trouble. The finishing hole at Chambers Bay was not popular with the field on Friday, and Spieth went on to say, during an interview with Bill Pennington of the New York Times after his round: "[The 18th] is the dumbest hole I've ever played in my life."
Still, the 21-year-old phenom rebounded nicely with a birdie on the par-five first, and despite a hiccup in the form of a bogey on the par-four seventh, he finished with another birdie on the par-three ninth to close out his round with a three-under 67 and a share of the tournament lead through 36 holes.
Patrick Reed
The only player able to match Spieth's score through 36 holes was Patrick Reed. However, the difference in consistency between the Masters champion and Reed was off the charts. The 24-year-old Texan completed his round with six pars, six bogeys, five birdies and an eagle in perhaps the most enigmatic round we've seen to this point at Chambers Bay.
After recording a par on the first hole to kick off his round, Reed quickly got into the red for the day with a birdie on No. 2 thanks to a very good approach and well-hit putt. He produced another birdie two holes later after using the slope of the green to navigate his approach close to the hole for an easy putt. While Reed would also birdie the eighth, bogeys at the seventh and ninth saw his front nine conclude with a one-under 35.
Reed's back nine was even more perplexing. He bogeyed the par-four 10th, bounced back with a birdie on the par-four 11th and followed that up with his best hole of the day, recording an eagle two on the par-four 12th after driving the green on the 284-yard hole. The wheels fell off thereafter, though, as Reed bogeyed three of his last six holes to shoot even par on the back side and finish his day with a one-under 69.
During a post-round interview with Pennington, Reed had some interesting comments—especially about the 18th hole—saying: "I actually felt it was a pretty disappointing round. I hit the ball in the middle of the green on 18 and had no chance to putt a normal putt and stop it near the hole. To have to play Mickey Mouse golf to try to make par, unfortunately is a bad way to end the day."
While he may have been disappointed with his round, Reed did well enough to earn a spot in Saturday's final pairing alongside Spieth.
Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson
Branden Grace is a big surprise in a tie for third with Johnson. The South African produced a solid one-under 69 in Round 1 and followed it up with a three-under 67 on Friday. He's been incredibly accurate, both off the tee and from the fairway, hitting 82 percent of fairways and 81 percent of greens in regulation.
A total of 63 putts through 36 holes isn't anything to write home about, but it does put him just under the tournament average.
Grace started Friday's round with a nice birdie on the first hole but dropped a shot on the third. He would later make up for it with an eagle—his second of the tournament—on the par-five eighth after holing a very long putt from off the front of the green. A birdie on the par-three ninth allowed him to make the turn with a three-under 33.
The South African's back nine wasn't quite as sharp, as he paired two birdies with two bogeys to record an even-par 34 and remain at three under for the day. After flying under the radar for two days, he'll receive plenty of attention on Saturday in the round's penultimate pairing with Johnson.
As for Johnson, he couldn't find a way to improve on his great start to the tournament, recording a one-over 71 on Day 2. The big-hitter's accuracy let him down on Friday, as he hit just nine fairways and 11 greens in regulation. He wasn't able to make up for those issues with the flat stick, requiring 30 putts on the day.
Johnson began his round well enough despite recording a bogey on the third hole, and he followed it up with birdies on the fourth, seventh and eighth before dropping another shot on the par-three ninth to make the turn with a one-under 35.
He appeared to get back on track early in his back nine. He hit a great drive, and while his approach wasn't spectacular, he holed a 33-foot putt for birdie to seemingly gain some momentum. It wasn't to be, however, as he recorded four pars and three bogeys over his final seven holes to finish with a two-over 36 on the back side and a one-over 71 for the day.
While Johnson likely isn't happy with his Day 2 performance, he's still only one stroke off the lead. At this point in the tournament, it's important for him to maintain a positive mentality and bounce back on moving day.
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