golf

U.S. Open fans go crazy for Cameron Smith’s boozy polo u,s,open,fans,go,crazy,for,cameron,smith,s,boozy,polo,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-fan-reactions,liv-golf

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

LIV Golf’s Cameron Smith is not afraid to test the fashion limits on the golf course.

Look no further than Saturday at the U.S. Open, when he showed up to Pinehurst No. 2 with a “booze” polo and the same white Ripper GC hat he wears for every round.

While Smith’s polo is not everyone’s style—it is for someone. Golf fashion is subjective, and this choice proves that. It is not for everyone, but neither is what Jason Day or Viktor Hovland wears.

It did not take long for golf fans to see the shirt and post it on social media. Would the masses love it or find it offputting?

Is this polo a vibe or something that should stay in the closet?

Well, fans loved it, and their positive reactions to his boozy shirt were plentiful.

The people have spoken, and this shirt is a vibe. Check out some of the best reactions to Smith’s out-of-the-box fashion choice.

X user and golf reporter Christopher Powers is spot on with his remarks; not many people could pull this off, but Smith can. The blonde mustache and mullet are the perfect additions to this fun polo.

If a beer story is not among the flashcards on the shirt, the designers need to change this immediately because Smith is notorious for celebrating by chugging a beer out of a shoe. With him wearing this polo, hopefully, it honors his favorite cocktail.

X user, Broken White Sox Fan, made quite the statement with his post. He clearly loves it, and for Smith to wear it at one of the three majors is something to note. While many players take fashion risks at the four biggest tournaments, this takes that to another level.

Smith‘s clothing sponsor is Original Penguin, notorious for its traditional and bold options.

Those who like this option can purchase it on their website. It is a unique shirt that will likely get plenty of comments. The fans love it for Smith at the U.S. Open, so it is hard to criticize it.

Golf fashion has a broad spectrum, and this shirt has a place on it.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Golf Talk Today: U.S. Open Rd. 3 Tee Times, Ludvig Åberg’s Pinehurst magic golf,talk,today,u,s,open,rd,tee,times,ludvig,berg,s,pinehurst,magic,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It’s Moving Day at the 124th U.S. Open.

Ludvig Åberg leads the field by one shot in his U.S. Open debut. He is eying some magic from Pinehurst as he attempts to win his first major championship. However, he will have to hold off some talented players like Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and more.

The round 3 tee times are below, but let’s also discuss how much carnage Pinehurst caused for some of the biggest names in golf.

So brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the U.S. Open.

Pinehurst No. 2 sends some massive names home early

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf players sweated it out on Friday at Pinehurst. After two rounds of play, 20 golfers are at even par or better. The top 60 and ties make the weekend at the U.S. Open, so over half the field went home.

Popular golfers who missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2
Viktor Hovland: 6-over, 78-68
Max Homa: 6-over, 71-75
Justin Rose: 6-over, 73-73
Tiger Woods: 4-over, 74-73
Rickie Fowler: 8-over, 71-77
Jason Day: 8-over, 71-77
Dustin Johnson: 9-over, 74-75

Check out the complete list of who missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

Ludvig Åberg aims to ma

U.S. Open Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

*Everyone tees off from the 1st tee

8:44 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Sahith Theegala

8:55 a.m. — Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari

9:06 a.m. — Matthew Fitzpatrick, Max Greyserman

9:17 a.m. — Justin Lower, Dean Burmester

9:28 a.m. — Tom McKibbin, Brandon Wu

9:39 a.m. — Luke Clanton (a), Brendon Todd

9:50 a.m. — Ben Kohles, Shane Lowry

10:01 a.m. — Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler

10:12 a.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Greyson Sigg

10:23 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, David Puig

10:50 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Wyndham Clark

11:01 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Neal Shipley (a)

11:12 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Daniel Berger

11:23 a.m. — Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith

11:34 a.m. — Gunnar Broin (a), Brian Campbell

11:45 a.m. — Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth

11:56 a.m. — Harris English, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

12:07 p.m. — Adam Svensson, Mark Hubbard

12:18 p.m. — Isaiah Salinda, Davis Thompson

12:29 p.m. — Min Woo Lee, Emiliano Grillo

12:45 p.m. — Denny McCarthy, Adam Scott

12:56 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Jackson Suber

1:07 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Brian Harman

1:18 p.m. — Nico Echavarria, Sam Bennett

1:29 p.m. — Nicolai Højgaard, S.H. Kim

1:40 p.m. — Frankie Capan III, Taylor Pendrith

1:51 p.m. — Russell Henley, Sergio Garcia

2:02 p.m. — Stephan Jaeger, Sam Burns

2:13 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Zac Blair

2:40 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Xander Schauffele

2:51 p.m. — Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim

3:02 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Matthieu Pavon

3:13 p.m. — Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy

3:24 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Thomas Detry

3:35 p.m. — Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg

ICYMI: Top stories from the 2nd Round of the U.S. Open

Check out these stories:

Francesco Molinari does unthinkable; makes U.S. Open cut with improbable hole-in-one

Tiger Woods misses U.S. Open cut, provides update on 2024 golf plans

Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg highlight 5 U.S. Open outfits we love

Sahith Theegala’s surreal U.S. Open chip-in has fans, NBC broadcasters going nuts

Rory McIlroy fails to cash in, convert opportunities in U.S. Open pursuit

Bryson DeChambeau delighted by his patience, honors U.S. Open legend in big way

Tiger Woods misses U.S. Open cut, updates 2024 golf plans tiger,woods,misses,u,s,open,cut,updates,golf,plans,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,tiger-woods,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Despite the stars aligning regarding the hot weather, favorable tee times, and his history at Pinehurst No. 2, Tiger Woods has missed the cut at the 2024 U.S. Open.

He shot a 3-over 73 on Friday, one day after signing for a 4-over 74. The 15-time major winner made his only birdie of the day at the par-4 4th, but then made four bogies over his next 14 holes to miss the cut by two.

“Well, it was probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today,” Woods assessed after.

“I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple of bad spots with some bad lag putts. But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.”

Woods admitted to feeling agitated, not because of his ailments but due to his results.

“It is frustrating because I’m not here to have a chance to win on the weekend,” Woods said.

“Granted, my ball-striking and felt like my putting was good enough to be in contention, and I’m not.”

Despite what Woods said, he ranked 131st in strokes gained approach and 106th in strokes gained putting. He hit the ball well off the tee but did not strike enough solid iron shots to make the weekend. He also missed plenty of opportunities, with none hurting more than his birdie attempt on the par-3 15th, which lipped out at the end.

“15 hurt. That was a sweet little 7-iron in there and a good putt, high-side lip. If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m looking pretty good,” Woods said.

“Instead, I’m on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes, which I end up hitting a sweet shot out of the trouble on 16, and I thought I holed my bunker shot at 17.”

Alas, it was not meant to be for Woods, who also laid out his plans for the rest of the 2024 season.

“I’ve only got one more tournament this season,” Woods added.

“Even if I win the British Open, I don’t think I’ll be in the Playoffs. Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.”

Woods made his way to the U.S. Open this week via a special invitation. The United States Golf Association (USGA) created a special exemption for Woods, who has won nine USGA championships in his career: three U.S. Junior Amateurs, three U.S. Amateurs, and three U.S. Opens. He won his Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateurs over six straight years in the 1990s, perhaps his most underrated accomplishment.

Whether or not he will tee it up in a USGA championship in the future remains to be seen.

“As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is,” Woods added.

“It may or may not be.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas are just two of the big names to miss the cut at the 124th U.S. Open.

Woods, a 3-time U.S. Open champion, carded a 3-over 73 on Friday to miss the weekend by two shots. Thomas, meanwhile, looked lost all week at Pinehurst No. 2, finishing at 11-over through 36 holes. The two-time PGA champion has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors, an alarming trend for the Louisville, Kentucky native.

But plenty of others will head home early, too.

Viktor Hovland opened the 2024 U.S. Open with an eye-opening 8-over 78. He fought hard to make the weekend on Friday, battling back after making a double-bogey at the par-4 8th with four birdies, but he fell short in the end. Two bogies over his final three holes cost the Norwegian dearly, as he missed the cut by a stroke at 6-over par.

Also finishing at 6-over was Robert MacIntyre, who recently won the RBC Canadian with his father on the bag. Unfortunately for the Scotsman, he will have no reason to celebrate this time around.

Max Homa, Eric Cole, and PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap also finished at 6-over, with Homa being the biggest surprise of this trio. Yet, Homa has missed the cut at the U.S. Open in four of his five starts, with the outlier being a tie for 47th at the Country Club at Brookline in 2022.

Canadians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor will also head home early, finishing at 7-over and 8-over, respectively. Australian Jason Day also totaled an 8-over score, a surprise given that this course suits his game nicely.

Others who finished at 8-over include Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris, Rickie Fowler, and one of SB Nation’s Dark Horses, Alex Noren of Sweden.

Dustin Johnson ended his second round at 9-over, as he has looked completely lost in major championships this season. So, too, has Phil Mickelson, who finished at 15-over after shooting a 79 on Thursday and a 76 on Friday.

Plenty of big names faltered at Pinehurst No. 2, but the big name favorite—Scottie Scheffler—made the cut on the number.

In all, 74 players earned third-round tee times, and play will commence first thing on Saturday, which promises to be another thrilling day in the North Carolina sandhills.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Ludvig Aberg learned from Masters missteps, leads u,s,open,ludvig,aberg,learned,from,masters,missteps,leads,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Ludvig Åberg found his groove on Friday at the U.S. Open, becoming the solo leader after 36 holes. He posted a 1-under 69 to move to a 5-under overall and holds a one-shot lead heading into Saturday’s third round.

Once again, the former Texas Tech Red Raider is in contention at a major in 2024. He played Augusta National, another difficult golf course, exceptionally well. Åberg finished runner-up to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at this year’s Masters.

But he made some mistakes down the stretch, notably on the 11th hole, which cost him a chance at a Green Jacket. As such, Åberg will have a chance to put those experiences to work this weekend in North Carolina.

“I think Augusta proved to me that I was able to be in that position,” Åberg said.

“It was more of a justification of you can be there and contend on a Sunday. The golf course also played very difficult. It demanded a lot of patience and discipline, just like this one does. I feel like those experiences that I had back in April were great. Hopefully, we’ll draw some similarities between those.”

The young Swede continued to plug right along at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday. He remained extremely consistent, hitting 12-of-14 fairways and finding 14-of-18 greens. The 24-year-old has missed just two fairways and six greens over the first two days overall.

To this point, he leads the field in both total strokes gained and strokes gained off the tee.

Yet, he did not have his best day on Friday, even though he recorded three birdies and two bogeys on his round. Still, his round was consistent enough to push him up the leaderboard and into the solo lead.

“Felt like I hit it very nicely today,” Åberg said.

“It was very challenging, and it’s not an easy golf course. I felt like we stayed very disciplined, stayed very patient, and tried to hit it to our targets all the time and see how many good shots we can hit today and see where that ends up at the end.”

He looks to become the first player in 110 years to win in his U.S. Open debut. Francis Ouimet famously did so in 1913 at The Country Club at Brookline as an amateur, which many say put the U.S. Open on the map. Other pundits call Ouimet’s win the most important victory in professional golf history.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Open has transformed into the toughest test in golf, with Pinehurst taking no prisoners.

“I think a U.S. Open is supposed to be hard,” he said.

“It’s supposed to be tricky. It’s supposed to challenge any aspect of your game, and I feel it’s really doing that. But I’m super fortunate with the way that things have turned out over the last couple of days, and hopefully, we’ll be able to keep it up.”

Despite its difficulty, Åberg knows this track fairly well. He played a U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2019 but failed to advance past the round of 32. That experience taught him a lot about how to take on this tricky golf course.

“I think with the way those greens are when it gets really firm—you don’t really have any bail-out areas; you’ve got to take on the golf shots and see where it ends up,” Åberg said.

“If you don’t pull it off, you’re going to have a really tricky short game shot. I think it’s a challenging golf course, but once again, that’s how it was supposed to be.”

Åberg and Bryson DeChambeau will comprise the final pairing for the third round of the U.S. Open.

U.S. Open: Francesco Molinari makes inconceivable ace, makes cut u,s,open,francesco,molinari,makes,inconceivable,ace,makes,cut,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

Francesco Molinari stood on the par-4 9th hole—his 18th of the day—at 7-over par. With the cut-line sitting at 5-over, he needed a hole-in-one to make the cut on the number.

The request was impossible, and yet Molinari delivered the improbable. He made an ace with a 7-iron, thus earning a third-round tee time at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2021.

“I think from where we were standing, it looked like it just carried the bunker, plus the greens are getting firm, so it was the ideal shot,” Molinari explained after.

“Then it started tracking, was going to break left to right at the hole, and we were joking with Sergio Garcia about how it looked and on a great line the whole way, but what are the chances really. I don’t even know what to say. Just incredible.”

Molinari struggled to process what had transpired after his 2-over 72.

“I just bogeyed 8. I was hoping I could par the 8th and then have to make two at 9,” Molinari said.

“With that flag, if you hit a good shot, you can get it within birdie range, but when I dropped a shot at 8, and then yes, standing on the 9th tee, it was just put a good swing on it and see what happens. But the chances are incredibly small, so I don’t know what to say.”

Molinari has had his fair share of incredible hole-in-ones.

He aced the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale one year. He also made a hole-in-one at Bay Hill, when he won there in 2019, per golf statistician Justin Ray.

But on Friday, he made the greatest ace of his life—when he needed it most.

“It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend,” Molinari added.

“That’s golf in a nutshell.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: 5 best outfits we love at Pinehurst No. 2 u,s,open,best,outfits,we,love,at,pinehurst,no,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

One of the emerging niches in professional golf is fashion. What these PGA Tour and LIV Golf players wear continues to spark intense discussions on social media.

Fashion is a subjective topic with no right answer. Many dislike what Jason Day and Viktor Hovland wear, but many fans love their trendy style. Those two guys take bigger risks, but many tour players look good in traditional-style garments.

How it fits on the body is a main component of a good outfit. Other things we looked at when ranking are coloring, attention to detail, and risk level.

This week, the best players in the world are at Pinehurst No. 2 for the 124th U.S. Open.

Major championships are also a great time to unveil new lines or do something wild, which many golfers choose to do.

Thursday and Friday showed some great outfits from the field, but these are the five best we saw from the players.

5. Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is fifth on this list for his Thursday outfit. That pink and white striped polo is one of the best he has worn since his new clothing line, Sun Day Red, launched. Pairing it with a gray pant pulls it together. White shoes and hats are a great way to keep a summer vibe, and the Big Cat pulled this look off well.

His navy look on Friday was sharp as well. He gives such a traditional vibe, but at the same time, it looks trendy.

Ranking: 9/10

4. Viktor Hovland

Viktor Hovland is one of many players who got chewed up and spit out by Pinehurst No. 2, but his Thursday outfit was perfect.

What a cool geometric polo! The navy matches the shoes and stripes. A white hat keeps the focus on the polo, as it should. Not to mention, the bottom of the Puma shoes matches the lighter blue on his shirt, which completes the look.

He will not likely be around for the weekend, but this pairing was so good it would have been a crime not to put on this list.

Ranking: 9/10

3. Harris English

A name that does not usually land on the golf fashion pages earned his spot at the U.S. Open. Harris English’s Thursday and Friday and looks were good enough to land on the list, but the green pants with the light blue striped polo have such a cool vibe.

He is finally incorporating color into his wardrobe, which looks fantastic. Those green pants are incredible.

Rating: 9.5/10

2. Ludvig Åberg

Some may not like this rating, with Ludvig Åberg in second on this list, but he gave two days of clean outfits. The peach polo with the navy pants on Friday was our favorite because it’s a great color combo.

White hats seem on trend this week, but the blue rope pulls it all together. It is traditional but fits well and looks fantastic on his skin tone.

Rating: 9.8/10

1. Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau has had the best outfits so far at the U.S. Open. His navy polo with gray pants is fantastic, and his Crusher GC logo did not overtake the outfit, either.

Since he went to LIV Golf, DeChambeau’s fashion has elevated to another level. Friday’s polo, with the navy and white stripes, also looked great. He has clearly gotten his color chart done because all of the clothes he wears are ideal for his skin tone.

Will a LIV Golf player take home the best dressed of the week on Sunday, or will one of the PGA Tour guys shock the fashion lovers this weekend?

Rating: 10/10

Rory McIlroy can’t convert chances in U.S. Open pursuit rory,mcilroy,can,t,convert,chances,in,u,s,open,pursuit,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

When Rory McIlroy prematurely walked in his final birdie of the day on Thursday evening, the talk of the golf world was, ‘Could this be the week?’

After all, McIlroy has opened a major with a bogey-free round three times before, and he has gone on to win each of those times. He did so again at Pinehurst No. 2 on Thursday, firing a clean, 5-under 65 to share the lead with Patrick Cantlay through 18 holes.

But he could not convert any opportunities a day later, when he carded a disappointing 2-over 72. His poor Friday round dropped him back to 3-under for the championship.

“Obviously not quite as well as [Thursday], but I feel like the golf course plays a little more difficult, even though we were off in the morning,” McIlroy explained afterward.

“Some of the hole locations were definitely a little tougher. Sort of had to have your wits about you.”

McIlroy lost his wits for a brief moment on the par-3 17th, when he putted his birdie attempt off the front of the green. That brought a double-bogey into play, as his third shot had to climb the steep false front that guards the front of the green. But instead of making a bigger mess of things, McIlroy chipped in for a wild par.

“Overall, I felt like I did a pretty good job of keeping some of the mistakes off the scorecard,” McIlroy opined.

“I wish I had converted a couple more chances. Hit the ball pretty well. I think I only missed one fairway. So, I had plenty of opportunities. Yeah, I wasn’t quite as good with the putter today. Still, overall, we are in a great position going into the weekend.”

McIlroy lost 2.5 strokes on the greens on Friday as he failed to convert multiple looks at birdie. He could not get into a rhythm with his putter, unlike Thursday, when he had an above-average day on the greens.

That trend started early and often: McIlroy missed an 11-footer for birdie at 10, and then missed a par-putt from five feet on 11. Three holes later, McIlroy missed another birdie attempt from 11 feet, increasing his frustrations. He then bogeyed the par-3 15th. Another missed birdie putt followed at the 1st, this time from 10 feet.

At least he salvaged these misses with a birdie at the par-4 3rd, his first of the day. But that proved to be his last one, too.

“I was 2-over pretty early. My goal going into that second nine was if I could get it back to even for the day, I would have been pretty happy,” McIlroy added.

“Got that birdie on 3. I was trying to claw one back there. Ultima,tely I gave one back again.”

McIlroy closed his round with a bogey at the par-3 9th and walked off with his head hung low. But he hit the ball well from tee to green again on Friday. He even led the field in strokes gained off the tee.

Yet, his putter failed him the most, and if he wants to break his decade-long major drought and win the U.S. Open, he will need his flat stick to show up—like it did on Thursday.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau remains patient, honors legend u,s,open,bryson,dechambeau,remains,patient,honors,legend,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

Bryson DeChambeau carded a 1-under 69 Friday at the 124th U.S. Open. It marks his second straight sub-70 score, an impressive feat at treacherous Pinehurst No. 2.

Coincidentally, he posted back-to-back rounds in the 60s to open up the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he won in 2020. Will history repeat itself?

Nevertheless, Friday’s second round challenged DeChambeau more so than on day one. He tallied five birdies and four bogeys. However, he ended it on a high note with a birdie on the 18th to shoot under par for the day.

This 1-under round puts him at 4-under for the championship, as he walked off the golf course trailing the leaders by a stroke.

“All in all, I was very happy with how I stayed patient, gave myself good opportunities when they mattered, and I made a lot of clutch putts coming in,” DeChambeau said.

Thursday saw him gain strokes off the tee, but on Friday, he lost a smidge to the field, losing 0.08. He only hit 7-of-14 fairways and 9-of-17 greens.

DeChambeau picked up those strokes on the green, though. In strokes gained putting, he picked up 2.29 on the field, a stark improvement from losing 0.33 on Thursday.

“This golf course is not going to be the same come tomorrow and the next day, and I’m expecting that,” he said.

“Us competitors, players, have to adjust to those conditions accordingly. I’m excited about the game that I have right now. I feel pretty confident and ready to get after it this weekend.”

This week also marks the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart’s U.S. Open victory in 1999. The golf legend happened to be someone DeChambeau idolized growing up.

Stewart is a big reason why DeChambeau went to SMU and wore the scally cap for a while. On a recruiting trip to SMU, he saw Stewart’s mural at the golf center, which made the decision easy for him.

DeChambeau does not wear the flat cap as much anymore, but this week, he brought it to honor Stewart.

“I wore the hat as a bit of a tribute to Payne and Ben Hogan,” DeChambeau said.

“Growing up, I was a big Ben Hogan fanatic. Knowing what Payne meant to the game of golf, I am also a Payne Stewart fan. He’s meant a lot to me in the game.

“My first [PGA Tour] win was his first win—the John Deere Classic. It was a different tournament back then, but it meant a lot to me to win there. We have the cap on my bag this week as a remembrance of him. The cap is hanging on the side of the bag and it’s with me and makes me think of him every time I’m walking on these grounds.”

Stewart won the first U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 1999 but would tragically die in a plane crash just four months later. The resort has a statue of Stewart’s iconic celebration that fans can see as they enter the main entrance this week.

After 36 holes, DeChambeau is in the hunt and will need a solid weekend to win his second U.S. Open. He has proven to be one of the most consistent players in the field, which will help tremendously as Pinehurst only gets more complicated.

U.S. Open: Sepp Straka ace is perfect redemption story u,s,open,sepp,straka,ace,is,perfect,redemption,story,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

Sepp Straka brought the excitement on Friday at the U.S. Open.

He showed the full spectrum of what golf can provide during his second round, following up his triple bogey on the 3rd hole with a hole-in-one on the par-3 9th.

Straka’s 194-yard ace marked his first hole-in-one during a PGA Tour round.

His playing partners watched him as he hit the ball, and as soon as they realized it went in the hole, everyone shot their hands up to celebrate. Straka gave high fives all around, as that shot clearly boosted his mood.

The U.S. Open’s social team got a slight dig with the caption as they referenced his triple bogey earlier in the round. That shot on the third was such a tough break for the Austrian.

Straka nailed the flagstick on the fly, and his ball ricocheted into the greenside bunker. He went on to make a mess of things, making a triple bogey after airmailing his third shot from the sand over the green. So what looked like a birdie opportunity from the fairway quickly turned into a disaster.

Nevertheless, the golfing gods at Pinehurst No. 2 blessed Straka with an ace, a Shakespearean redemption story of sorts. From recording a seven to a one on the scorecard, it does not get any wilder than that.

Straka became the third player to make a hole-in-one on the 9th hole at No. 2. He joins Zach Johnson, who made one in 2014 during the final round, and Peter Jacobson, who did so in 2005 during the third round.

Straka’s ace vaulted him back up to 2-over for the championship, which is inside the cutline at this point. But that hole-in-one helped him immensely after his tough break at the 3rd threatened his chances of making the weekend.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.