10 Things to Know About Round 2 of the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst

At the conclusion of Round 2 of the 2024 US Open there were 14 players within 4 shots of the lead at Pinehurst No. 2.  And heading into Moving Day there are even more players with a chance to jump into contention.

Here are 10 things to know about Round 2 of the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst.

Number 1: Francesco Molinari aced his final hole (#9) on Thursday to make the cut right on the number (145, +5). He becomes the first player in U.S. Open history to make a hole inone on his 36th hole to make the cut right on the number.

Number 2: Earlier in the day Sepp Straka aced the same hole. Molinari and Straka are the third and fourth players to make an ace during a U.S. Open at Pinehurst, joining Peter Jacobsen (2005, #9, Round 2) and Zach Johnson (2014, #9, Round 4). That’s a total of four 1s on No. 2!

Number 3: Although a player has never won the U.S. Open after making the cut right on the number, several have finished in the top 5. Here is a list in reverse chronological order:

• Tommy Fleetwood, 2023 at Los Angeles CC, finished T-5
• Kenny Perry, 2003 at Olympia Fields CC, finished T-3
• Jeff Sluman, 1992 at Pebble Beach GL, finished second
• Greg Norman, 1990 at Medinah CC, finished T-5
• Tom Weiskopf, 1978 at Cherry Hills CC, finished T-4
• Steve Spray, 1968 at Oak Hill CC, finished T-5
• Pete Cooper, 1953 at Oakmont CC, finished T-4

This is the second time that Scottie Scheffler has made the cut right on the number at a major championship, having done so at the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, at which he finished T-23.  Scheffler has made the cut on the number of three non-major official PGA TOUR tournaments, finishing third at the Memorial Tournament in 2023, T-55 at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2022 and T-54 at the Valero Texas Open in 2021.

Number 4: Scottie Scheffler has only had two birdie-less rounds on the PGA TOUR. He did that in the final round of the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge and in the second round of the 2016 U.S. Open, as an amateur.  Scheffler has played on the weekend in each of his last 37 official stroke play events, last missing the cut at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Classic in August, 2022.

Number 5: Xander Schauffele had nine 3s on his second-round scorecard, matching the highest number of 3s (or better) recorded in one round of a U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Hunter Mahan also had nine in 2014 (Round 2). Mahan’s round also included five bogeys and a double bogey, resulting in a score of 72 (+2) which led to him to miss the cut, coupled with a Round 1 score of 74.

Number 6: Thomas Detry has now finished inside the top 10 in each of his last six major championship rounds. That is the longest active streak of its kind.

Number 7: Bryson DeChambeau has shot 69 or better in each of his last six major championship rounds, including today’s second round (69). He is now two rounds shy of the majors record, shared by Rickie Fowler (8 in a row in 2014) and Greg Norman (8 in a row in 1993). Bryson DeChambeau was T-1 after 36 holes of this year’s Masters Tournament and T-4 after 36 holes of the PGA Championship at Valhalla GC. He is the third player in the last 25 years to be among the top-5 on the 36-hole leaderboard of the first three major championships of a calendar year. Padraig Harrington did that in 2002, as did Dustin Johnson in 2015.

Number 8: Ludvig Aberg is the first non-American to hold the outright 36-hole lead in the U.S. Open since Martin Kaymer (Germany) in 2014 at Pinehurst. Other foreign nationals since 2000 to hold an outright 36-hole lead at the U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland, 2011 at Congressional, went on to win), Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland, 2010 at Pebble Beach, went on to win), Stuart Appleby (Australia, 2008 at Torrey Pines, finished T-36) and Angel Cabrera (Argentina, 2007 at Shinnecock Hills, went on to win). Ludvig Aberg is 24 years, 227 days old today. 

Over the last 50 years, only three players Aberg’s age or younger had at least a share of the 36-hole lead at the U.S. Open: 

• Jordan Spieth (21 years, 327 days, 2015 at Chambers Bay, won the championship)
• Rory McIlroy (22 years,44 days, 2011 at Congressional, won)
• Tiger Woods (24 years, 169 days, 2000 at Pebble Beach, won).

Number 9: Here is how the U.S. Open champions at Pinehurst did in terms of hitting fairways and greens through 36 holes:

• Martin Kaymer, 2014, 25/28 Fairways, 26/36 Greens
• Michael Campbell, 2005, 23/28 Fairways, 22/36 Greens
• Payne Stewart, 1999, 21/28 Fairways, 23/36 Greenss

Ludvig Aberg has hit 26/28 Fairways and 30/36 Greens through 36 holes.

Number 10: Sam Bairstow shot 84 in the first round yesterday but responded by shooting 67 today. He is the first player in U.S. Open history to shoot 84 or higher in the first round and then break 70 in the second round. In case you were wondering, over 1500 players have shot 84 or higher in the first round, including 431 players since WWII.