US Open Golf 2022: Collin Morikawa, Joel Dahmen Share Lead Entering Round 3
June 18, 2022
Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen are tied for the lead halfway through the 2022 U.S. Open.
They are both five-under par but have little margin for error with five players one shot behind them.
It was a tough day at The Country Club for most of the field, with 105 players finishing over par in the second round. Phil Mickelson was among that group. He missed the cut with a 36-hole score of 11-over par (73 on Friday).
Scottie Scheffler was the big mover among the top contenders on the leaderboard. He jumped 18 spots into a tie for eighth thanks to a three-under par 67 on Friday.
U.S. Open Round 2 Leaderboard
T-1. Collin Morikawa (-5)
T-1. Joel Dahmen (-5)
T-3. Hayden Buckey (-4)
T-3. Rory McIlroy (-4)
T-3. Jon Rahm (-4)
T-3. Aaron Wise (-4)
T-3. Beau Hossler (-4)
T-8. Patrick Rodgers (-3)
T-8. Nick Hardy (-3)
T-8. Scottie Scheffler (-3)
T-8. Brian Harman (-3)
T-8. Matthew NeSmith (-3)
Full leaderboard via PGATour.com
Morikawa's 66 was the lowest score of the second round. He opened on the back nine and had a terrific start with three birdies through his first nine holes. The 25-year-old took the lead on his 17th hole with a birdie on the par-five.
Despite taking the lead on that hole, Morikawa did leave a shot on the table. He missed an easy four-foot putt for eagle that would have dropped him to six-under par.
Even though Morikawa hasn't been totally pleased with his performance thus far, it's hard to argue with the results. He is 36 holes away from becoming the first player since Brooks Koepka to win a major tournament in three consecutive years.
Morikawa started this season well with five consecutive top-10 finishes. Including the missed cut at the Players Championship, he has just one top-25 finish in his past eight non-match play events.
Dahmen had a strong start on the front nine with three birdies and one bogey. He closed the round with an even-par 35 on the back nine, highlighted by a 60-foot birdie putt on No. 15 to tie for the lead.
This is only the 34-year-old Dahmen's ninth appearance in a major tournament. He missed the cut four times and finished outside of the top 40 three times. The Washington native did finished tied for 10th at the 2020 PGA Championship.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoHeading into the weekend, Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen co-lead the U.S. Open. Morikawa is making his 11th career major start, Dahmen his 9th.<br><br>Morikawa has two prior major victories, at the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship. Dahmen has one career major Top 40. <a href="https://t.co/R61bzDHf8T">pic.twitter.com/R61bzDHf8T</a>
Hayden Buckley had a fantastic closing stretch to put himself in the mix heading into the weekend. He was two-over par for the day after 11 holes but made birdies on four of the final seven to get to four-under par overall and at one point tied for the lead.
Brian Scott Rippee @bsrippeeHayden Buckley just birded four of his last seven holes for a 2nd consecutive 68. He is tied for the lead at the U.S. Open.<br><br>Buckley's first made cut at a major. He had to get through a 5-for-1 playoff at sectionals to get here.<br><br>Related: idk what to do with my hands.
McIlroy did drop a spot on the leaderboard but remains firmly in contention at four-under par. His day got off to a bad start with a double-bogey on No. 3. The 2011 U.S. Open champion got in the red thanks to three birdies on the back nine, including on No. 17.
Defending champion Jon Rahm is among the group with McIlroy at four under par. He had a 67 that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-five 14th hole.
Rahm is in a better position this year than he was in his 2021 win at Torrey Pines. The 27-year-old was two shots off the pace and tied for fifth through 36 holes last year. He needed a 67 in the final round to vault into the top spot.
Brooks Koepka was one of the biggest winners from the second round. After opening the U.S. Open with a 73, he got back to even par with a 67 on Friday. He, like Rahm, took advantage of No. 14 with an eagle.
Friday was a marked improvement for Mickelson compared to his 78 in the first round. Lefty did have back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to get his score for the round to two-under par. He gave a shot back with a bogey on the next hole.
"I thought I was more prepared than I was," Mickelson told reporters after his round ended. "The U.S. Open is the ultimate test. And you don’t really know where your game is until you get tested, and I thought I was little bit closer than I was."
The U.S. Open was Mickelson's first PGA Tour event since January. He hasn't made the cut since the Tournament of Champions from Jan. 6 to 9. The 52-year-old finished 33rd at the inaugural LIV event last week in London.
Saturday's third round will tee off at 9:49 a.m. ET. Morikawa and Dahmen will be the final pairing, starting at 3:45 p.m.