Ranked a hundred and thirtieth on this planet, Dahmen got here agonizingly near ending the day above the two-time main winner because the outright chief however missed his birdie putt on the 18th gap by mere inches.
The 34-year-old, who secured his first and solely win on the PGA Tour in March 2021 with victory on the Corales Puntacana Championship, carded a two-under 68 so as to add to his opening spherical 67.
Having admitted to nearly skipping the occasion qualifier, the American mirrored on a “whirlwind” two days, when he has quickly develop into a crowd favourite in Brookline, a lot to Dahmen’s shock.
“It’s unbelievable to me how many individuals know my identify or yell for me on the market,” Dahmen instructed reporters.
“It is bizarre. I am getting acknowledged just a little bit extra off the golf course … my spouse will have a look at me, like, ‘What is occurring?’
“It isn’t regular. I do not know if I am going to ever get used to it, however it comes with good golf.”
Morikawa, pursuing a 3rd main in three years after triumphs on the PGA Championship and the Open, starred with a round-best 66. The world quantity seven made a scintillating begin to his second spherical, sinking three birdies en path to a three-under rating by means of his first 9 holes.
A bogey on the fourth gap — his thirteenth — supplied the only blemish on the 25-year-old’s scorecard, with Morikawa ending the day in a assured temper.
“Nobody has taken it deep to date and run away, however proper now my sport feels actually good,” Morikawa instructed reporters.
“The previous couple of days is a large confidence booster for me heading into this weekend, and hopefully we are able to sort of make some separation by some means.”
Rahm and McIlroy amongst chasers
McIlroy bounced again beautifully from a double bogey on the third gap, which might have been markedly worse. Discovering himself within the lengthy grass after an errant strategy shot, catastrophe struck when it took the Northern Irishman three photographs to flee — the ball twice getting caught within the fescue.
It led to the uncommon occasion of the 33-year-old fist pumping in celebration to a double bogey, avoiding a triple with an excellent 22-yard putt.
“I stayed affected person, and I knew I used to be going to provide myself probabilities if I simply hit the ball the best way I’ve been hitting it,” McIlroy instructed reporters.
“In the present day was a extremely good instance of simply having a superb angle.”
Shock first-round chief Adam Hadwin dropped to a few photographs off the entrance following a second spherical two-over 72, carding the identical rating as PGA Tour rookie Callum Tarren, one stroke behind the Canadian on two-under.
Younger amongst these minimize regardless of hole-in-one
With the sector minimize to the highest 60 gamers and ties heading into the weekend, spare a thought for Cameron Younger, who missed the three-under benchmark by a single shot regardless of a exceptional again 9.
Younger proceeded to birdie earlier than sinking a hole-in-one — the forty eighth in US Open historical past — on the par-three sixth gap.
An ecstatic Brookline crowd had barely had an opportunity to catch their breath earlier than Younger had rattled off back-to-back birdies. Needing to make it three in a row to make the minimize, Younger fell agonizingly in need of a miraculous comeback with par on the remaining gap.
“It is laborious to sit down right here and be that happy that I made a hole-in-one after I missed the minimize,” Younger instructed reporters.
World quantity six Cameron Smith was the best ranked casualty of the minimize, the Australian carding rounds of 72 and 74 to complete six over par.
