A 400-yard drive was the highlight of a second round that Min Woo Lee used to blast his way into US Open contention alongside Cameron Smith at Los Angeles Country Club.
Lee rocketed up the leaderboard on day two as US Open officials set up tougher pins and longer tees in an attempt to balance a record opening day for scoring at the championship. LACC played 171 yards longer courtesy of using the back tees on four extra holes compared to day one.
It didn’t phase Lee as he carded a five-under-par 65 that elevated him to six under and just four shots behind 36-hole leader Rickie Fowler (68). Fowler leads Wyndham Clark by one, while Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele (eight under) Dustin Johnson (six under), Scottie Scheffler (five under) and Cameron Smith (four under) are all within six shots. Â
Lee’s 65 by a spectacular birdie on the par-4 16th. Despite the hole measuring 555 yards, Lee blasted his drive 407 yards down the fairway and had a wedge in from 143 yards. Lee knocked it to 13 feet and made the birdie, one of six he made with just one bogey.
“I’m driving it well; driving it a long way actually, which is nice on this course because it’s long,” Lee said after his round.
Lee, who has Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour this season courtesy of results like a T6 at the Players Championship and a top-20 at last month’s PGA, said he was beginning to feel confident he can win on golf’s biggest stage.
“I really don’t know why I decide to play well in the majors and not other tournaments,” Lee said laughing. “I think it’s a good thing. I don’t know if I just focus just a little bit more and some of these grind-it-out pars are actually moving me up on the field. I think when the courses are easy at different tournaments, if you make a bogey, you feel like you’ve moved back 30 spots, and over here in a major [a bogey or par] is not too bad.”
Lee and Smith were the only two Australians to make the two-over cut. Lucas Herbert, Adam Scott (five over), Jason Day and amateur Karl Vilips (nine over) and Cameron Davis (11 over) all went home early.
Trailing Lee by two was Smith, whose 67 moved him to four under for the week. Smith hopes tournament officials let the course dry out as LA weather heats up.
“I think I just love the turf [at LACC]; the way [the ball] runs out,” Smith said. “I think it will start to play firmer and faster as the weekend goes on. Hopefully this place gets really baked out and we can have some fun out there.”
Smith earned his best result at the PGA Championship last month, a tie for ninth, and felt his game had been sharpening up well before that. He said making a few more putts from 15-30 feet on day three would have him in with a chance on Sunday’s final round.
“The turning of the corner probably came a month or so before [the PGA],” Smith said. “I feel as though I’ve been playing good golf now for a couple of months. It feels like I’m not doing much wrong. I just need those those longer putts, one or two, to drop every round and I’m right there.”
