Big guns undone by this different type of US Open
STRANGE things have been happening at the US Open.
Two players shooting sevenunder 65s, the cut only falling at one-over par and a raft of star names heading home early.
For eight of the world’s current top 12 to not be around for the weekend, including the top three in Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, is a huge shock.
Erin Hills is a new venue and it’s so different to classic courses like Oakmont or Shinnecock Hills.
A lot has been made of the knee, high rough and its 7800-yard length, but the fairways are a lot wider than normal for this event.
That’s because the USGA have prepared for wind, and over the first two days, conditions were benign and scoring was good.
The wind is expected to reach around 20mph for the final round, and then Erin Hills will present a very different test.
As for the star names, I wasn’t surprised that Rory was one of the 36-hole casualties.
Because of his rib injury and his marriage, he hasn’t played enough golf in 2017 to expect him to play well this week.
As soon as he missed the wide fairway with his opening tee shot on Thursday, I knew he wasn’t ready.
Like any golfer at any level, you are always rusty the first time back after an absence. It took Rory 30 holes to get going and his firstround 78 finished off his chances.
But grabbing four birdies in his final six holes will give him some encouragement to take to this week’s Travelers Championship.
McIlroy was effectively starting his season again and ideally you wouldn’t start with the US Open.
I’m pleased that he has opted to play in the Scottish Open at Dundonald Links. That is the right decision for him and great news for the organisers.
With three events in the lead-up to The Open, Rory now has a robust schedule and he should arrive at Royal Birkdale in great shape.
It’s a second successive missed cut in a Major for Johnson, but his preparations can’t have been helped by the arrival of his second child last Monday.
Despite that, he certainly had his chances on Friday to make the cut. He was hitting the ball miles off the tee, but had a nightmare on the deceptive Erin Hills greens.
As for Day, there were no excuses. His golf was simply awful.
But while these three were struggling, it was nice to see two Brits in a four-way tie for the halfway lead.
Paul Casey has become one of the game’s most-consistent performers since his permanent relocation to America and his game stands comparison with most.
This is only a second US Open for Tommy Fleetwood, but he’s enjoyed an excellent 2017, winning in Abu Dhabi and finishing second at the WGC in Mexico.
But he’ll know a lot more about where his game is after this weekend under the spotlight.
Heading into the final round, some new names are going to be in the mix for their first-ever Major. And the reality is there might never be a better chance for a shock winner to emerge.