Gary Woodland on Friday drained a 50-foot birdie putt at his final hole to cap a six-under-par 65 and take a two-stroke US Open lead over former champion Justin Rose.
Woodland’s tee shot at his final hole, the par-four ninth, nestled in a divot in the fairway, but he still managed to reach the green in two to close out his round in sensational style.
“That was just a bonus,” Woodland said. “Hit a beautiful drive. I was in the divot, a pretty deep divot. We were a little indecisive what we were going to do. We tried to take a little less club and hit it hard and play out to the safe to the right and was nice to knock it in.”
Photo: AFP
Woodland was more pleased with a tough up and down for par at the eighth, where he sank a clutch 15-foot putt after chipping from the greenside rough.
“That was huge,” he said. “I played beautifully all day. I didn’t want to give a shot back.”
Woodland became just the third player to post a 65 in US Open play at Pebble Beach, a record set by Tiger Woods in 2000 and equaled by Rose on Thursday.
His 36-hole total of nine-under 133 is one shot better than Woods posted had in 2000, when he led by six on the way to a crushing 15-stroke triumph.
Woodland, who led last year’s PGA championship at the halfway stage on the way to his best major finish — a tie for sixth — has plenty of marquee names on his tail.
Rose, the 2013 US Open winner, fired a second-round 70 for 137. Former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa had seven birdies and six bogeys in a wild 70 for 136.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and South African-born American Aaron Wise were a shot back on five-under 137, McIlroy with a 69 and Wise a 71.
Five players were tied at four-under, a group that included two-time defending US Open champion Brooks Koepka, who carded his second-straight 68. He was tied with Americans Chez Reavie, Chesson Hadley and Matt Kuchar, and England’s Matt Wallace.
As Pebble Beach remained receptive in cool, overcast weather, Woods was unable to take advantage.
The superstar stumbled to a bogey-bogey finish in a one-over 72.
“Not a very good finish,” Woods said, adding that he was “still a little hot” shortly after signing his scorecard.
Although birdies were still plentiful, Pebble Beach proved it could still bite.
McIlroy was flying at six-under for the tournament when he found himself unable to get up and down for par from a greenside bunker at 13. He then took a double-bogey seven at the par-five 14th.
He responded with back-to-back birdies.
Rose considered himself in the “perfect spot” at seven-under, even if it was not the top of the leaderboard.
“At this point there’s not a lot to worry about,” Rose said, adding that he was doing what it takes to win a US Open. “My short game has been really, really strong this week. I’ve made a lot of putts inside 10 feet. I’ve managed my game really well.”
Koepka, trying to become just the second golfer to win three straight US Open titles, teed off on 10 and was even through nine holes with one birdie and one bogey.
He put together back-to-back birdies at six and seven to inch up the leaderboard.
“I know you just need to be hanging around on the weekend,” he said.
Taiwan’s C.T. Pan and Kevin Yu missed the weekend after finishing the round with 73 each.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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