JOHNSON IN CONTROL
American takes four-stroke lead, Woods and six others miss the cut
DUSTIN Johnson took command of the US Open yesterday, firing a three-under-par 67 at Shinnecock Hills for a four-shot lead as the only player under par after 36 punishing holes.
Shinnecock presented a different face as Thursday’s gusting wind gave way to morning mist with stretches of wind-driven rain, followed by afternoon sunshine.
Johnson was more than equal to all of it, his two-round total of four-under 136 putting him four ahead of Americans Charley Hoffman and Scott Piercy.
“Dustin was in complete control of what he was doing,” said his playing partner Tiger Woods, who missed the cut in his first US Open since 2015 as he added a two-over 72 to his opening 78 for a 10-over total of 150.
“He’s hitting the ball so flush and so solid,” Woods said. “I know it’s windy. It’s blustery. It was raining early. But he’s hitting right through it.”
After two birdies in his first nine holes, Johnson made his only bogey of the day at the first, unable to get up and down for par from a greenside bunker.
But he would add two more birdies, including a 45-foot putt at the par-three seventh that took its time getting to the hole then teetered in to a massive roar from the crowd.
“That was a good one,” said Johnson, the 2016 US Open winner who watched it all the way. “I knew about halfway there it was on a really good line if it would just get to the hole — it dropped right in the front door.”
Hoffman put himself under par for the tournament when he rolled in a long bomb at the parfive 16th for the last of his three birdies. He kept the momentum with a par save at 17, but dropped a shot at 18 to cap a one-under par 69 that left him on even par 140 alongside Piercy.
Piercy, who shared the overnight lead with Johnson, England’s Ian Poulter and Russell Henley, carded a one-over 71 for his share of second.
But Poulter made a triple-bogey seven at the par-four eighth – his penultimate hole — and bogeyed nine in a two-over 72 that dropped him into a tie for fourth with defending champion Brooks Koepka, England’s Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
Four-under 66s by Koepka and Fleetwood were the best rounds of the tournament on a Shinnecock course where, Poulter noted, “There’s a disaster on every single hole” for someone.
Woods was among a stream of marquee names who wouldn’t make it to the weekend.
Looking for a round in the 60s to keep him alive for the weekend, Woods settled for a twoover-par 72.
The 14-time major champion finished strong, with birdies at his last two holes, but at 10-overpar 150 he was two strokes outside the cut line at eight-over.
“I don’t think you can be too happy and too excited about 10 over par,” said Woods, who made a double bogey at the par-four first a day after opening the tournament with a triple bogey there.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott, Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm and Germany’s Martin Kaymer also fell prey to Shinnecock.
But Phil Mickelson, seeking a first US Open title that would give him the career Grand Slam, is set to play the third round on his 48th birthday after firing a one-under par 69 for a six-over total of 146.