“Yes, I’m in the lead, but we’re only halfway there,” Fowler said. “Being in the lead is nice, but it really means nothing right now. I’m looking forward to continuing to challenge myself and go out there and try and execute the best I can.”
He started with three straight birdies, all of them from about six feet. The two bogeys he made on the front nine were followed by birdies. He started the back nine with two bogeys, only to answer with a 25-foot birdie putt. Back and forth it went, all round, until he finished with a beauty of an approach to eight feet on the 17th, the hardest hole of the round.
Schauffele, who matched Fowler’s record-breaking 62 in round one, had a wild ride of his own.
He was tied for the lead at one point early on the back nine, approaching a few holes that could yield birdies. They produced bogeys instead, both times with a wedge in hand on the par-five 14th and the 115-yard 15th.
He birdied the final two holes to stay in the game.
“Just leaking some oil,” Schauffele said. “I bogeyed two holes I was supposed to have good birdie looks on. But I’m happy with how I finished.”
Clark, who last month broke through with his first PGA Tour title against an elite field at Quail Hollow, started strong with a bold flop shot that set up a birdie and a 40-foot birdie putt on the back nine, and then he held it together over his final nine holes.
Closing fast was McIlroy, without a major in nine years, overcoming a rugged start with four birdies on his last five holes to make it six times he has been eight-under or lower going into the weekend at a major. He won three of those previous five times.
“I felt like coming into this week that was going to be a key for me if I could put the ball in play. You can play from there and create some scoring opportunities,” McIlroy said. “That’s really my game plan over the next couple days. Put the ball in play off the tee, and I think I’ll be just fine from there.”
Not to be overlooked was Dustin Johnson, the two-time major champion who made a quadruple-bogey eight on his second hole with six bad shots, one penalty and a tap-in. The man with golf’s shortest memory rebounded quickly and still shot 70, leaving him four shots behind.
Harris English shot 30 on the front nine to finish off his 66, leaving him at seven-under.
“They can get them as firm and fast as they want and put those pins in some tough spots. It’s going to be fun,” English said. “The rough is still going to be penal. I think everybody is going to get the US Open they’ve been wanting to see.”
On an opening day that featured two 62s (Fowler and Schauffele), the low round belonged to Min Woo Lee, whose 65 left him tied with Johnson at six-under.
Scottie Scheffler was among those five behind.
All of them are chasing Fowler, who is thrilled to be back in this position again. The real test starts this morning, for Fowler and the rest of the field wondering when a typical US Open will finally arrive.
