Sam Burns shoots 65 to get in the mix at U.S. Open

OAKMONT, Pa. — Sam Burns fired a 5-under-par 65, the lowest round of the week thus far, and leapt into contention at the U.S. Open as the second round got underway Friday at Oakmont Country Club.

Burns had six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole (No. 9) to wrap up the low round. He headed to the clubhouse at 3-under par, one off the lead.

First-round leader J.J. Spaun, coming off a bogey-free 66 Thursday, began his second round at about 12:52 p.m. Thriston Lawrence of South Africa (3 under) and Si Woo Kim of South Korea (2 under) were also part of the afternoon wave Friday.

Viktor Hovland of Norway chipped in for birdie at No. 10 and for eagle at the short par-4 No. 17 to match Burns’ hot start, but he hit some turbulence with three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey the rest of the way. Hovland posted a 68 to get to 1 under overall.

Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open before losing in a playoff, started his second round on the back nine and birdied Nos. 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at No. 1 by stopping his approach shot at No. 2 about 6 feet from the pin to set up his next birdie.

After a birdie at the par-5 fourth, Burns’ drive at No. 9 was buried in a patch of thick rough and he opted to take a drop and a penalty stroke. He hit his next shot to 22 1/2 feet from the pin and drained the long, left-to-right putt to save par.

The top 60 players and ties will qualify for the weekend, and the cut line as of 1:30 p.m. was 4 over par.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had an adventurous 71 — five bogeys, four birdies — and will sweat out the afternoon at 4 over with Collin Morikawa. Jordan Spieth struggled to a 75 and sits at 5 over, while Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will miss the cut.

Notable players teeing off in the afternoon include Adam Scott of Australia (even par through one round), Xander Schauffele (2 over), Ludvig Aberg of Sweden (2 over), Keegan Bradley (3 over), Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (4 over), Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (4 over) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (9 over).

One day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in U.S. Open history, France’s Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-3 sixth hole, the second-ever ace during a U.S. Open at Oakmont.

–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media