Johnson leads, Sharma exits Vani Kapoor 9th, Sharmila 13th in Czech Challenge
US OPEN World No 1 golfer fires threeunder 67 for a fourshot lead at halfway mark, Woods misses cut
SOUTHAMPTON (US): World No 1 Dustin Johnson moved closer to a second US Open win in three years, shrugging off the worst of the conditions to take a stranglehold with a four-shot halfway lead at Shinnecock Hills on Friday.
The overnight joint leader jumped clear with a three-underpar 67 on a day when the tournament lost considerable star wattage as Jordan Spieth, Rory Mcilroy and Tiger Woods missed the cut.
India’s Shubhankar Sharma also failed to make the cut, applied at eight over par. Having gone four-over on the first day, he shot 76 on Friday to finish on 10-over like Woods.
The 21-year-old Indian was playing in his second Major, having failed to make the cut in the Masters in April.
SHARMA’S POOR FINISH
Shubhankar Sharma faltered at the very last step. He finished with a bogey-double bogey in his last two holes to miss the cut.
“It was not to be, but it was a great experience. The course was really tough and I made some errors. But I enjoyed the experience and the challenge and I will surely come back here again,” said Sharma, who has already qualified for his next Major, the Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Sixty-seven players made the cut, which fell at eight-over 148.
“Today was really solid in some tough conditions,” Johnson said after posting a four-under 136 to head fellow Americans Charley Hoffman and Scott Piercy.
A high-powered group of five stood next at one-over -- defending champion Brooks Koepka, major winners Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson plus Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Ian Poulter.
Poulter got within one shot of Johnson before running up a tri- ple-bogey at his 17th hole, where he got too aggressive with a bunker shot.
Johnson endured no similar drama, largely by adopting a conservative strategy. He capped off the day at his 16th hole, the par-three seventh, where he curled in a 45-foot birdie putt that trundled downhill before trickling in as fellow competitor Woods looked on with admiration and perhaps a tinge of envy.
“Dustin was in complete control of what he’s doing. He’s hitting the ball so flush and so solid,” Woods said. “And he’s got beautiful speed on the greens. Every putt looked like it was going to go in.”
The 2016 champion said he would stay with what got him a four-shot lead, namely taking his medicine after the bad tee shot.
WOODS NOT HAPPY
Woods said: “I’m not very happy the way I played and the way I putted. “I’m 10-over par. So I don’t know that you can be too happy and too excited about 10-over par.” But the 14-time Major winner was certain he had another one in him. “Absolutely,” he said. “Have you seen the way I’ve been swinging?”
Woods, 10 years removed from his most recent major victory at the 2008 US Open, has shown flashes of brilliance in his latest comeback season but has yet to bring together every aspect of his game in one week to achieve a victory.
He finished second at the Valspar Championship in March and tied 5th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“I’m hitting it just fine. I just have not made any putts, and then, importantly, I haven’t made those key ones to keep the momentum going, or if I have any positive momentum, I miss a putt and derail it,” the former World No.1 added. PRAGUE: