OAKMONT, Pa. — To all U.S. Open sadists, rejoice: We’re at the halfway mark, and only three players are under par. And possibly only two, as there are reports Sam Burns may be disqualified amid rumors he was playing a different course.
It hasn’t been a bloodbath through two days at Oakmont, more of a slow, methodical dissection, the mean rough and slick greens keeping the field forever on the defensive and punishing anything less than good. There’s a chance weekend storms slightly tame the course’s bite (including rain that came at the end of Friday’s round), but don’t expect the weekend leaderboard to see a surge of red. With 36 holes remaining, here’s what to watch for on Saturday at the U.S. Open.
Has Viktor Hovland figured it out? Hovland stands at a curious crossroads in his career—no longer adrift, yet still searching for what once defined him. The Norwegian golfer dominated the sport just two years ago, capturing the FedEx Cup title and delivering a tour de force performance during Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Rome. Last season, however, Hovland found himself struggling with fundamentals, his confidence so shaken that he withdrew from a signature event due to concerns about his ball-striking ability.
Despite these challenges, Hovland managed a respectable campaign: He contended at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla and qualified among the 30 players for the PGA Tour’s season finale at East Lake. Yet these accomplishments paled against his previous triumphs, raising questions about what was wrong, and if it could be fixed. This season has offered glimpses of resurgence, most notably his victory in March at the Valspar Championship. Still, Hovland has remained far from his peak form.
This week might be the turning point. Hovland ends Friday night in third, just two back of Burns after rounds of 71 and 68. He’s been good from tee to green, and amazingly even better around the putting surfaces, ranking fourth in strokes gained/short game. But more importantly, he seems to have his confidence back.
“Last week we saw some really good progress, and earlier this week was very happy with some of the shots that I was hitting out there in the practice rounds,” Hovland said about this swing. “Super excited that I was able to take that out with me in the tournament.”
Hovland has not played particularly well at the U.S. Open, but does have four major top-10s since 2022. With the board lacking big names, Hovland may be the man to beat.
Can a top-10 player be a sleeper? Russell Henley sure feels like one. Henley, ranked No. 7 in the world, goes about his business without much fanfare. He’s having a good season, with a win at Bay Hill and six top-10s in 12 starts. But more importantly, Henley has a great U.S. Open track record, finishing T-14 or better in three of his last four national championship starts.
Perhaps more than anyone else on the board, Henley will benefit from a tough weekend setup as he’s able to keep the big numbers at bay (25th on tour in bogey avoidance) and has a well-rounded game (11th in strokes gained despite being 118th off the tee).
Is Scheffler too far back, or right in the mix?
Scottie Scheffler has a habit of running hot, but this week the World No. 1 seems to be especially fiery, highlighted by a driving range outburst following his Friday round that was caught on cameras. The rage is mostly directed at his ball-striking, which has not resembled the historical production he’s showed over the past four years.
And yet, Scheffler is only seven shots back, with only four major winners ahead of him. That he’s had his C-minus game (or worse) and remains in shouting distance is a testament to his ability to grind out a decent score. If conditions remain as difficult on Saturday as they’ve been so far, a small run could have Scheffler among the leaders.
“Overall definitely not out of the tournament,” Scheffler said Friday afternoon. “Today was I think with the way I was hitting it was easily a day I could have been going home and battled pretty hard to stay in there. I’m 4-over. We’ll see what the lead is after today, but around this golf course I don’t think by any means I’m out of the tournament.”
David Cannon
The sleeping Spaniard The same sentiment that applies to Scheffler applies to Jon Rahm. After a strong PGA Championship, the two-time major champion is fourth in strokes gained/approach and hitting the ball relatively well off the tee. The problem has been the putter, as nothing has dropped for the LIV star.
“I didn’t make a putt, that was the main difference. I didn’t play bad,” Rahm asserted. “I played quite good golf. Didn’t see anything go in beside a seven-footer on 7. That’s it. That’s a very hard thing to deal with to try to shoot a score out here.”
Rahm is not a prisoner of revisionist history—he’s currently 142nd in strokes gained in putting. And if it’s truly a matter of bad luck, a bit of providence will go ways to Rahm making some noise on Saturday.
Brooks (Is) Here He stumbled down the stretch on Friday with a final 39, but Brooks Koepka is likely heading to bed thinking this is his championship to lose. Yes, he’s been in a two-year major slump following PGA victory at Oak Hill; he’s also a generational prime-time performer, someone whose career has been built on slights, real and perceived, and you better believe he’s aware of the criticism following disappointments at Augusta and Quail Hollow to begin the year. Frankly it would be shocking if Koepka wasn’t among the final two groups come Sunday afternoon.
Casual golf fans, meet Ben Griffin Week-to-week followers are familiar with Griffin’s breakout campaign, punctuated by two wins in the past six weeks and a runner-up finish at the Memorial. However, to many observers, there are only four tournaments that matter, and though his name was on the board at the PGA Championship (finishing T-8), Griffin remains an unknown commodity.
Get ready for that to change, as Griffin’s hot run has continued. Not only is he just four shots back of Burns, a good weekend likely locks up a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team. Griffin is aware, especially after playing the first two days with captain Keegan Bradley, and he had fun with the media afterwards about this chance to show off to his would-be leader. “Yeah, Keegan said whoever was low man after 36 holes was getting on the Ryder Cup, so I guess I’m getting — I’m just kidding,” Griffin said, alluding to the third man in his group, Mav McNealy.
Is this Burns’ breakout? What we saw on Friday was darn-near record setting, yet it wasn’t out of nowhere, as Burns was in a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open last week. Known as one of the best putters in the world, Burns has been consistently solid on the tour for some time, yet that talent hasn’t translated to the majors, with just one top-10 finish in his career.
Yet with Oakmont putting an emphasis on the short game and staying out of trouble, this weekend could be Burns’ chance to show he can deliver what it matters most. “I think at times, trying to be a little too perfect around major championship golf courses, and I think especially around here, honestly it kind of forces you to take your medicine because a lot of times that’s the only option you have,” Burns said about his major past. “I think for this golf course, you really just have to free it up. It’s too hard to try to guide it around here. You’re going to hit some in the rough, you’re going to hit some in some bad spots, you might as well do it with authority.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
