US Open updates: Slow going in opening hours of US Open
The co-leaders in the U.S. Open are still four hours from starting the third round and no one is making a big run up the leaderboard
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — The Latest on U.S. Open (all times local):
11:45 a.m.
The co-leaders in the U.S. Open are still four hours from starting the third round and no one is making a big run up the leaderboard.
Only two of the 18 players on the course at The Country Club are under par for the third round.
One is Sam Stevens. He's 1 under through six holes — 2 over for the championship — and is part of a small group at Brookline that worked the hardest to get here. Stevens and two other players went through 18 holes of local qualifying in May and then made it through 36 holes of final qualifying in June.
The others are Oklahoma star Chris Gotterup and Chris Naegel. None are likely to win. One advantage to making the cut is they can advance straight to final qualifying next year.
Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth started seven shots behind and bogeyed his opening hole. Patrick Cantlay is 1 over for his round through seven holes and is nine shots back.
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8 a.m.
The U.S. Open is wide open going into the weekend at The Country Club, and not just at the top.
Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen are tied at 5-under par and won't tee off until 3:45 p.m. Dahmen has never won on the PGA Tour and jokingly says that he's used to being home at 5 p.m. to have dinner.
The cut was at 3-over 143. That means only eight shots separate the leaders from last place with 36 holes to go. Such a small margin has only happened once in the last decade at the U.S. Open. That was in 2017 at Erin Hills, which wasn't nearly the stern test Brookline has been.
Erin Hills in Wisconsin is where a record seven players finished the U.S. Open at 10 under or better. The Country Club is expected to be firm and fast, and big numbers are easy to find.
Among the players who made the cut on the number is Patrick Cantlay, the reigning PGA Tour player of the year. Jordan Spieth was one better. He starts seven shots behind.
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