Clark in control of US Open as wind hinders McIlroy and Scheffler

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Clark in control of US Open as wind hinders McIlroy and SchefflerImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rory McIlroy played the first two rounds in a group with his Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood, who finished runner-up here in 2018BySteve SutcliffeBBC Sport journalistPublished1 hour agoUS Open, round two leaderboard-7 W Clark (US); -3 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), T Kim (Kor), X Schauffele (US), S Stevens (US)Selected: -2 C Morikawa (US); -1 J Thomas (US); Level A Fitzpatrick (Eng), R McIlroy (NI), S Scheffler (US); +1 A Rai (Eng), J Rose (Eng), L Aberg (Swe), T Fleetwood (Eng); +2 T Hatton (Eng); +4 R MacIntyre (Sco)Once again the weather took top billing at Shinnecock Hills as Wyndham Clark built a healthy four-shot halfway lead at the US Open.Scottie Scheffler called the gusting wind “the biggest challenge”, while Rory McIlroy pointed out their “side of the draw played in the windiest conditions and the scores show that” after the world’s top two finished the second round on level par for the championship, seven adrift of Clark.It is, of course, one of the hazards of playing an outdoor sport with start times spread across a day. The scoring average shifted from 73.87 on Thursday morning to 71.97 for Friday’s early starters.Clark, the 2023 champion, was one of those who took advantage of playing his first round in the more benign conditions late on Thursday and second round early on Friday, as he followed his opening six-under 64 with a 69.England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open winner, was also on that side of the draw and is among Clark’s nearest challengers on three under after posting a 70. He was joined on that number by two-time major champion Xander Schauffele.But the wind was not solely to blame given two players on McIlroy and Scheffler’s side of the draw are also four back and joint second – South Korea’s Tom Kim and American Sam Stevens.McIlroy also reached three under after picking up two birdies in his opening eight holes and looked the most likely player to eat into Clark’s lead, before he was derailed by a combination of poorly executed shots and the strengthening wind on his second nine holes.The blustery conditions were not as extreme as on Thursday when 40mph gusts of wind buffeted the Long Island course in New York state.But they were clearly penal enough to trouble Scheffler, who struggled with his putting.”With the amount of pitch you have on the greens, playing in the wind is extremely difficult, and judging speed on putts when the wind is blowing that hard can be challenging as well,” he reported.McIlroy makes solid US Open start before conditions alter dynamic

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    Wyndham Clark Getty Images

    Wyndham Clark missed the cut at the US PGA Championship last month

    Whether out early-late or late-early, Clark is the player who has dealt best with both the weather and the notoriously tricky Shinnecock Hills layout.

    The course played fairly on Friday, with championship organisers the United States Golf Association – who have accepted conditions at previous US Opens held at this course had been substandard – keeping a close eye on conditions.

    And Clark superbly plotted his way round the course, holing a 33-foot birdie putt on the last to become the first player to reach seven under after 36 holes during a Shinnecock US Open.

    The 32-year-old, who won his national title at the Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, had an infamous meltdown 12 months ago, smashing a locker in the clubhouse at Oakmont after missing the US Open cut.

    That led to him receiving a ban from the Pennsylvania club until he underwent anger management therapy and paid for the repairs.

    And while he has made reparations off the course, he has now put himself in a position to deliver some sort of public “redemption” on it, over the weekend.

    “I’ve had a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so. The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am, what happened last year,” he reported.

    “I’m hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident.

    “I really feel like I can show people that I’m fun and outgoing, I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment.

    “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. Hopefully I can bring my A-game on the weekend.”

    Having established a healthy advantage on Friday, Clark at least now appears fully in control of his emotions having also broken the clubhead off a driver at the US PGA Championship prior to the locker-room incident.

    And he also showed he is more than capable of playing the pantomime villain to a tee, when he wore a USA hockey jersey to needle home fans at last week’s RBC Canadian Open., external

    ‘I’m only three back off of second’

    ‘Still feel like I’m in the tournament and in with a decent chance’

    For those in pursuit of Clark, they will take comfort in knowing the past six halfway leaders have not gone on to win the title.

    And this is the largest 36-hole lead at the US Open since Dustin Johnson led by four the last time it was staged at Shinnecock Hills in 2018, when Brooks Koepka emerged as the winner.

    And that this is one of the toughest courses on the planet, where shots can be lost in an instant, as former US Open champion Johnson found to his cost when he posted a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-four 15th.

    Fitzpatrick is the only other former champion under par and the Englishman put together a typically tenacious round, with two birdies in his closing three holes lifting him back to where he started the day.

    McIlroy was seemingly ready to charge when he too reached three under with a birdie on the eighth but his wedge play cost him dearly.

    He misjudged shots on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes, when the gusting wind was at its strongest, with his ball falling off the back of the greens as he posted three successive bogeys.

    The 37-year-old responded with back-to-back birdies, but a thinned chip which ran into a bunker, contributed to a double-bogey six on the 15th.

    “Even par going into the weekend isn’t terrible. I’m only three back of second place but obviously Wyndham’s built a bit of a lead,” he reported on Sky Sports.

    Three bogeys on the back nine also curtailed his playing partner Tommy Fleetwood’s progress and left him at one over. Fleetwood finished runner-up here in 2018 when he shot a 63 in the final round after starting it six adrift of eventual champion Koepka.

    Scheffler, who is attempting to become the seventh player to complete the career Grand Slam is level with McIlroy, after carding a two-under 68.

    The American cut a frustrated figure at times despite hitting 12 out of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. His putting – where he ranked 61st on strokes gained – was his frailty, hindering his ability to climb the leaderboard.

    Fitzpatrick’s brother Alex is also at level par on his US Open debut, while his compatriot, the newly crowned US PGA champion Aaron Rai registered a 67 to sit at one over along with Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg.

    Tyrrell Hatton is a stroke back and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre just made the cut after a second-round 74.

    However, two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut for a third successive major, while Jon Rahm shipped six shots in five holes on the back nine to play himself out of the weekend.

    US Open

    18-21 June

    Shinnecock Hills, New York

    Live text updates of all four rounds on BBC Sport website and app. Live radio commentary of rounds three and four on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and BBC Sounds.

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