Matt Fitzpatrick will spend part of his Saturday with one eye on the course and one eye on the leaderboard.
The Englishman, who asked for a challenge out of Shinnecock Hills during this week’s U.S. Open, got his wish and survived the test through the first two days, finding himself four back of the lead held by Wyndham Clark, who was 7-under through 36 holes.
Fitzpatrick ended his second round on a high note, with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 and shooting for par on 17.
“Obviously, two in the last three is always nice, especially at a U.S. Open,” Fitzpatrick said after finishing 3-under par. “Didn’t really feel like I made too much up until those two holes, really. Struggled a little bit off the tee on the back nine, but overall scrambled incredibly well to be where I am.”
It was a notable feat considering Clark had been the standard-bearer through the second round after breaking out in the first, following the delayed start Thursday, and finishing his first 18 early Friday morning.
He continued to hold the top spot, finishing the second day of the tournament with birdies on 12, 13 and 18, while only bogeying twice in the round.
Clark won the U.S. Open in 2023 but made headlines last year after missing the cut and taking his frustration out on a locker inside the dressing room at Oakmont, but he is hoping to move on from the incident.
Two days of good golf likely will help that, though he had hoped to be even further under par.
“I really felt like I could be in double digits, but you know, the great thing about that is I didn’t feel like I had my best, and I still am leading as of right now,” Clark said. “Hopefully, I can bring my ‘A’ game on the weekend.”
Fitzpatrick shot par through the front nine before he found himself going on a wild ride on the back end of the course, including hitting his ball onto the road that splits the fairway on 12.
The 31-year-old will start Saturday’s round four strokes back of Clark, on whom he will be keeping tabs during his own round, something he said he always does.
“You’ve always got one eye on where you are on the leaderboard. I do anyway,” he said. “I want to figure out where I’m at and whether things need to change. For the most part at a U.S. Open, it’s not like you can go flag hunting. I will say, some of these greens with where they have put the pins, you have a little bit more of a chance because most of them have to be pretty central just because of how slopy the greens are.
“There’s obviously some of that that I’ll take into account. But for the most part, trying to play my same game, and you know, hopefully make a few putts from distance and see where it ends up.”
He added later: “You have to stay patient, but you know, if you are chasing, you can’t really afford too many mistakes if you’re that many behind.”
Xander Schauffele, Tom Kim and Sam Stevens, who had the clubhouse lead at sunset Thursday, halting play for the first round, also were four back of the lead after the second round.
Schauffele in particular had battled back from 2-over after Thursday before shooting 4-under during the second round.
Schauffele, a two-time major winner, credited patience to find the right “golf shots” as part of the turnaround Friday.
“I played great today. Pretty motivated after last night. Winds are laying down, and being in that easier wave and not taking advantage of it was a big bummer,” he said. “Pretty pumped to come out and shoot something low.”
Rory McIlroy didn’t make up much ground Friday, shooting a 1-over par during the second round, nor did Scottie Scheffler as he finished the first two days at even par.
Two of the biggest golfers in the world head into Saturday tied for 11th. Despite being seven strokes back of the lead, McIlroy seemed confident that there could still be ground to make up.
“If there’s a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you’re seven back going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” he said.
