Morikawa, Dahmen tied for U.S. Open lead with McIlroy, Rahm 1 back
Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen are tied for the U.S. Open lead at 5-under after Round 2 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Morikawa's 4-under 66 was the lowest round of the day on Friday, while Dahmen recorded a 2-under 68 to claim his share of the top spot.
Rory McIlroy and defending champion Jon Rahm are both part of a group one stroke back at 4-under, and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads a pack two strokes back at 3-under.
| PLACE | PLAYER | ROUND 2 SCORE | TOTAL TO PAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Collin Morikawa | 66 | -5 |
| T1 | Joel Dahmen | 68 | -5 |
| T3 | Hayden Buckley | 68 | -4 |
| T3 | Jon Rahm | 67 | -4 |
| T3 | Rory McIlroy | 69 | -4 |
| T3 | Aaron Wise | 68 | -4 |
| T3 | Beau Hossler | 67 | -4 |
| T8 | Nick Hardy | 68 | -3 |
| T8 | Scottie Scheffler | 67 | -3 |
| T8 | Matthew NeSmith | 69 | -3 |
| T8 | Patrick Rodgers | 68 | -3 |
| T8 | Brian Harman | 69 | -3 |
Beau Hossler - part of the group one back of the leaders - drained his shot from the bunker for birdie at his final hole to card one of only two bogey-free rounds on Friday. The other round belonged to Joohyung Kim, whose second-round 68 has the 19-year-old five back at even par.
Adam Hadwin, 18-hole leader, 2013 U.S. Amateur champion Matt Fitzpatrick, and World. No. 9 Sam Burns are all three strokes back at 2-under.
Five of the world's top 10 players are inside the top 15 and within three strokes of the leaders heading into the weekend. All three of the world's top three - Scheffler, Rahm, and McIlroy - are within two.
"To see Collin and Jon and Scottie and Sam up there, that's what major championship golf is all about," said McIlroy, according to Golf.com. "I want guys to go out and shoot 65 so I have to go and shoot 64."
McIlroy is seeking the fifth major championship of his career this week and the first in eight years. The 33-year-old already has two wins so far this season, grabbing the second one last week in Canada.
The 69 he shot on Friday marked the 14th round in the 60s of his career at the U.S. Open, becoming the most of all-time by a European player, according to Twenty First Group's Justin Ray.
Brooks Koepka, who opened the tournament with a 73, grinded to a 3-under 67 on Friday to make the cut at even par. The two-time U.S. Open winner is seeking his first major win since 2019.
Phil Mickelson, who was making his first major appearance this year, shot rounds of 78 and 73 to miss the cut at 11-over.
Morikawa already has five PGA TOUR victories at just 25 years old, including two major wins with the PGA Championship in 2020 and The Open in 2021.
This is the first time Dahmen has made the cut at the U.S. Open, which he played in both 2019 and 2020. Dahmen had originally contemplated whether he would attend the U.S. Open qualifier that would get him into the U.S. Open this week, according to Golfweek's Adam Schupak.
On Saturday, Dahmen will tee off alongside Morikawa in the final pairing for the third round of the U.S. Open at 3:45 p.m. ET.