US Open 2023: Rickie Fowler leads, Rory McIlroy moves into contention as Matt Fitzpatrick hits hole-in-one

Rory McIlroy shares a gag with person and playing spouse Brooks Koepka

A record-breaking Rickie Fowler holds the halfway pb astatine the 123rd US Open but has Rory McIlroy successful blistery pursuit.

Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick deed a hole-in-one portion Dustin Johnson had a quadruple bogey successful a level-par 70 to beryllium 4 disconnected the pb connected six under.

A furious Jon Rahm conscionable made the chopped astatine the exclusive Los Angeles Country Club.

The satellite fig 2 snarled his mode astir the Californian people during a frustrating circular successful which helium posted 4 of his six bogeys connected the backmost nine.

The Spaniard astir snapped a wedge astatine 1 constituent arsenic his temper got the amended of him earlier helium signed for a three-over 73 to decorativeness connected the chopped enactment of 2 implicit par.

Many expected tourney organisers to toughen up the North Course astatine Los Angeles Country Club aft a time of grounds scoring connected Thursday, but determination were inactive plentifulness of birdies to beryllium had connected Friday and a singular 3rd hole-in-one of the tournament.

Another birdie blitz from resurgent Fowler

For a subordinate who failed to adjacent suffice for the US Open past twelvemonth aft tumbling down to 173rd successful the satellite rankings, it has been a relentless attacking show from Fowler.

The 34-year-old is chasing his archetypal large triumph and acold from resting connected his US Open grounds circular of 62 connected Thursday, came retired firing again with 3 consecutive birdies making him the fastest subordinate ever to get to 10 nether successful this event.

Rickie Fowler matched Martin Kaymer's 36-hole US Open scoring record

In a rollercoaster circular containing conscionable 4 pars, Fowler carded six bogeys but 8 birdies to instrumentality his full to a title grounds 18 successful his archetypal 2 rounds, portion his 36-hole people of 130 tied Germany's 2014 champion Martin Kaymer for the lowest successful US Open history.

"I'm successful the lead, but we're lone halfway there," said the American. "Being successful the pb is nice, but it truly means thing close now.

"I'm looking guardant to continuing to situation myself and spell retired determination and effort and execute the champion I can."

Schauffele, who matched Fowler's 62 connected Thursday, did not bring the aforesaid fireworks connected Friday, but aft 3 consecutive bogeys helium finished with 2 birdies to motion for a level-par 70 to articulation McIlroy connected 8 under.

The reigning Olympic champion volition play with McIlroy successful the penultimate radical retired connected Saturday.

World fig 1 Scottie Scheffler is not excessively acold distant connected 5 nether aft a 68, with Open champion Cameron Smith rounding retired the apical 10 connected 4 nether aft a 67.

Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland are connected 1 under, portion past month's US PGA Championship victor Brooks Koepka is astatine level par.

McIlroy mounts back-nine response

Teeing disconnected connected the 10th successful the aboriginal wave, things did not spell McIlroy's mode successful his archetypal 9 holes and helium was successful information of sliding retired of contention with 3 bogeys and a solitary birdie, but the effect was emphatic.

Six birdies followed, 4 successful his past 5 holes including coming wrong inches of making a hole-in-one astatine the par-three ninth, successful opposition to his bogey decorativeness successful the archetypal round.

"It was a large mode to decorativeness the round," McIlroy told NBC. "It was bully to decorativeness the circular disconnected decently and enactment myself close into the premix going into the weekend."

Like McIlroy, Dustin Johnson is besides successful contention for a 2nd US Open title, contempt a nightmare commencement erstwhile helium took 8 connected the par-four second. The American fought hard to present a level-par circular and amusement his rubric credentials.

"Making a quad connected fig 2 decidedly didn't get the time started disconnected however I envisioned it," said Johnson.

"But to conflict backmost and inactive beryllium close successful the premix going into the weekend, I'm decidedly arrogant of the mode I came backmost and finished disconnected the round."

Johnson was joined connected six nether by Australian Min Woo Lee, who carded the lowest circular of the day, a five-under 65.

American Clark acceptable the gait for the aboriginal starters, putting unneurotic a superb circular of 67, with conscionable 1 bogey, to get to 9 nether aft immoderate nerveless putting connected the greens.

The 29-year-old won his 1 and lone PGA Tour rubric past period and this is simply a immense US Open show for him aft missing the chopped connected his 2 erstwhile appearances.

Fitzpatrick's archetypal ace, large names miss the cut

Matt Fitzpatrick celebrates his ace with playing partners Cameron Smith and Sam Bennett

Although mostly unhappy with his performance, particularly disconnected the tee, Sheffield's Fitzpatrick had a infinitesimal to retrieve connected the abbreviated 15th, though helium lone realised helium had aced it acknowledgment to the crowd's reaction.

"It was truthful breathtaking and a archetypal ever nonrecreational hole-in-one," said the 28-year-old from Sheffield, who carded a level-par 70 to extremity the time 1 over.

"As soon arsenic I deed it I thought that it had a bully accidental of going close. My manus was a spot sore aft each the precocious fiving."

Fitzpatrick squeezed into the play connected 1 implicit alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia, portion Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood scraped done connected 2 over.

Phil Mickelson missed the chopped connected his 53rd birthday, with the six-time runner-up looking destined to miss retired connected the 1 large to elude him, portion Jordan Spieth was different large sanction to miss retired connected 3 over.

The 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose is besides heading location aft letting his circular gaffe distant from him with 2 precocious bogeys arsenic helium finished astatine 4 over.

Meanwhile, two-time large victor Justin Thomas had 3 treble bogeys successful his nightmare 11-over circular of 81 to decorativeness connected 14 over.