Super save (for bogey) keeps Fleetwood smiling at US Open

Xander Schauffele had never made a bogey in the U.S. Open until the par-3 ninth hole at Erin Hills.

Englishmen Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood and Americans Brian Harman and Brooks Koepka are sitting at seven-under, a shot ahead of Fowler, also of the U.S., who had a one-over-par and is tied with compatriots J.B. Holmes and Jamie Lovemark.

And the prime beneficiary was American Thomas, who catapulted up the leaderboard with a record-breaking nine-under-par 63.

Count former Taylor County and University of Kentucky star J.B. Holmes among those in the mix.

And then there is Rickie Fowler, also one back. Spieth never wandered into negative numbers on the front nine, posting only two birdies the entire day (he has six on the week). Besides his much improved putting, Hadwin credits his marriage and a change in attitude for his strong play this year. “And I’ve been very light on competitive rounds this year, and it’s just a matter of getting into a good round of golf now”. Get through the tough pin and get to the next hole …

“I’ve pictured myself winning the U.S. Open a lot of times before now”, he admitted.

“I’m optimistic with where my game is … some of where my game is”.

“[Thursday], coming off an injury, I was a little anxious going out there, ” McIlroy said. “If you do that you’re going to deserve a bogey out there”. He didn’t make a birdie the rest of the way and had to settle for a 70. I’ve got four weeks off now.

“I started feeling a couple of rounds at Colonial like that, where I really felt like I was seeing the lines, I was confident going into it”.

Behind the leading quartet, a logjam grouped eight players within two shots of the lead.

Rory McIlroy was left reflecting on a missed cut at the US Open for the second consecutive year on Friday after once again struggling to get to grips with the Erin Hills layout. Some of it nearly takes the bombers out of it.

It was a nice comeback for Casey after he triple-bogeyed the par-5 14th and shot 38 on his first nine. So that kind of takes the advantage away from the bombers. Unlikely as it seems, that was the last major he played on the weekend. Majority had to come from far back going into the weekend, and it was hard to put together two good rounds.

“It always does that”, he said.

Brooks Koepka bogeyed the par-3 sixth after hitting his tee shot near the grandstand and fell to 7 under.

The biggest jolt of all, however, came watching world number one and defending champion Dustin Johnson, number two Rory McIlroy and number three Jason Day all trudge to the exit after failing to make the halfway cut, which fell at one-over 145.

That’s not to say a worthy champion won’t be crowned Sunday – but there’s plenty of work left to do for golf’s upper echelon of players, many of whom missed the cut Friday.

“I was sticking to the same game plan, I was doing the same things”, Hadwin said. I couldn’t possibly shoot any higher than I did. It’s just been trying to figure it out on and around the greens.

There’s a four-way tie for the lead at the U.S. Open.

And despite carding four birdies in his last six holes for a 71 on Friday, the four-time major victor saw his own pre-event prediction come true, having said on Tuesday that anyone who could not hit the wide fairways “might as well pack your bags and go home“.

Justin Rose, Davis Love IV, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson and Graeme McDowell will not be in contention for the 117th US Open title.