2019 US Open 2nd Round Live Blog

The coverage will start at 12:30 on FS1. I will be off and on updating on this page.

10:11 – Enough golf for me for the day. Looks like it will be Woodland and Rose in the final group with Louis and Rory a group ahead of them.

10:00 – If Woodland can par #9 with his ball in a divot this will be amazing. It is cold, late and the ball isn’t flying. Let’s see what he can do. Well, there you go. He is on the green and will likely two putt for a one shot lead going into Saturday. No way! Woodland birdies from a mile away. He shoots a 65 and leads at -9. What a fantastic birdie.

9:53 – I am glad they lightened up on the speakings in the cups this year. It used to be out of control. They are still in the bottom of the cups but the speakers are turned down tremendously. Thank you Fox. It’s the little things.

9:49 – Phil has been using his Instagram short game magic on the last two holes. He had to go over the greenside tree on 18. Woodland is going to have a long putt to stay at -8. The odds are against him and more in favor that he will go back to -7. Louis takes a bogey and goes back to -5. I take that back, Woodland hit the putt and stays at -8 and in the lead.

9:43 – Woodland bladed a long iron and is trying to warm up his hands. It must be getting cold at Pebble Beach at this time of day. They are going to have some tough shots coming in. Zach Johnson is at -3 and under the radar. Has anyone noticed that since he went to PXG he has done absolutely nothing? He was such a great wedge and iron player before he made the change.

9:38 – DJ hits one on 18 that should have been out of bounds. It hit the cart path and bounced back towards the fairway. That is saving at least one stroke, maybe two. One last commercial break for me to mention expert Miami braces orthodontist, Dr. Derek Sanders.

9:25 – It is amazing that Rory simply cannot birdie a par 5. He hits the ball 330 down the middle of the fairway and can’t birdie the par 5s. Woodland birdied 6 to go -8 and has a one shot lead on Rose. Unless he collapses, he will be in the final group on Saturday.

9:14 – Woodland is on the green in two on #6 and will likely take the lead. His swing is very short but he gets tremendous power. The broadcast is coming to a close but we still have a few tee times to clarify. Rory would like to be right in front of the leaders while Woodland would like to sleep on the lead.

9:12 – A lot has happened since I went on my walk. Woodland is tied for the lead and Rory has had some birdies and bogeys. Rory needs to birdie #18 to feel good about being in one of the last groups on moving day. Also, Phil has been all over the map but is still -2 for the tournament. He would like to get a few birdies coming in to tee off later on Saturday.

7:25 – Rick Flower drops a shot on 18 to go back to -2. He needs to keep it together and get some birdies on his back 9 which is the front 9 at Pebble Beach. As we move coverage to Fox I am going to take a nice evening walk. Be back in a bit.

7:17 – DJ drives one 370 off the tee on #9 and has a short iron into the green. He hits it right at the pin and will have a birdie putt. Rory with a putt to go -6. He lips it out on the high side. Ouch. It looked great most of the way. Rose on the range with Sean Foley videoing the swing. One could argue they are getting way too technical, but he is in the lead at the U.S. Open.

7:11 – Rickie blasts one into the water on 18. We haven’t seen many in the water on the second shot into 18. Rory thought he hit a bad one and it ends up in the middle of the green. Time to take advantage of this break. Louis hits a great shot into #7 and will birdie to go -7 and tie for the lead.

7:06 – Louis taps in for birdie on 6 and goes to -6 and sole possession of second place. He is going to play a few difficult holes after #7. We head to another break on FS1 which gives me a chance to mention Richmond, Virginia Orthodontics. It looks like coverage moves over to Fox at 7:30.

6:47 – Gary Woodland making a move as he gets to -5 and has the front to play as his second nine. It would be interesting to see Gary Woodland in one of the final groups over the weekend.

6:39 – Rory hits a 10 foot par putt on #8 which will go a very long way for his confidence. Don’t expect birdies on the next few holes, but pars on the hard holes are going to do just fine. And Phil chips in to go -3 on the day and -2 for the tournament.

6:35 – Although Rickie is not tearing it up right now, he does play the front 9 second. This will give him several birdie chances as the evening progresses. As long as he can stay at -4 through his first eight holes, he will be in good shape. A birdie at #18, his #9, could go a long way towards finishing at the top of the leaderboard.

6:31 – DJ with a go at the 6th. He rips one that ends up just on the front of the green. Not many people can reach the 6th in two with 5 wood and iron. Rory hits a shot long into 8 and has a difficult lie over the green. That will be a difficult up and down.

6:19 – Rory with a sand wedge from 116 on #7. A half swing that ends up about five feet beyond the hole. Now he needs to hit this putt. Rory rolls that one in to go to -5. He is killing the ball off the tee. If the putter gets hot, he could move into the lead. That said, he is about to play the hardest part of the course.

6:16 – Rory takes another par on a par 5. He has still yet to birdie a par 5 at the 2019 U.S. Open. He does not look comfortable putting right now. These guys are just letting Koepka get into position to own the weekend.

6:09 – Rickie takes a bogey on a par 5. That moves him back to -4. Rory hits his pitch shot around 10 feet past the hole. If his putter ever heats up, he is unbeatable. I can’t even imagine how low he could go if he could putt like Spieth or the old Tiger. Xander whiffs a putt and drops a shot. He goes back to -4 with Rickie. They are falling like flies now.

6:07 – I am not going to try to spell Oosthuizen over and over today so I am just going to type Louis. He slides one by on #3 and remains at -6 and one shot back of Rose. We need some Americans to get to the top of this leaderboard. It is all Europeans playing well at the moment with Rory, Rose and Louis sitting in great shape.

6:05 – Well Leishman just shanked on. Zinger said he knows what to call it but won’t say it. There is nothing harder to recover from than a dead right shank. Phil is at -1 for the tournament and actually playing well today. He is chomping the gum very hard. Rory is at -4 and a 4 iron into the par 5 6th. He completely whiffed that one as it is 40 yards short of the green. He can still get up and down to go -5.

6:00 – After getting some reading and work completed I come back to Dustin Johnson lookin for his ball well right four green. It looks as if Louis is playing well early at -6 for the tournament and Rickie is still -5. I am assuming the course is actually getting a little harder for the late groups. Does anyone want to see Justin Rose win this thing?

4:49 – One of the groups we will see a lot of in the evening broadcast is Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and See Woo Kim. Hopefully Jason Day plays well and moves up the leaderboard. Does Rickie really have a mullet going on right now? We will also see a lot of Rory McIlroy during the evening broadcast.

4:12 – The final hole of the day for Jordan, Tiger and Rosey is #9. Jordan and Rosey hit the middle of the fairway and Tiger drives it in the left fairway bunker. Tiger ends up missing an 8 footer for par and will go into the weekend at even par. That is seven shots behind Justin Rose and will likely be even further behind the leader.

3:56 – “He is steep on the ball and most players that were that steep would come up and out of it being steep.” Tell me about it. It is so hard to remain patient and allow your lower right, rear obliques push the body through the ball while keeping the hands, arms and shoulders out of it. Brooks does this better than anyone which is why he is such an amazing pressure player. Steep isn’t bad if you allow your body to shallow the club right before impact.

3:52 – For those wondering, Paul Azinger never won a U.S. Open and his only major win was the 1993 PGA Championship at Inverness. He won in a sudden death playoff over Greg Norman. Curtis Strange won back to back U.S. Open’s in 1988 and 1989. Those were his only two major victories.

3:46 – So, who else hates Paul Azinger in the announcer’s seat? Don’t look know, but a U.S. Open has broken out as par is starting to get difficult. Maybe the afternoon wave will see a Pebble Beach golf course that actually plays hard.

3:42 – Tiger has a birdie putt on #6. He misses this one low and remains -2 for the tournament. That was likely caused by missing so many putts on the high side throughout the day. If he doesn’t get one or two birdies, he will need to go very low on the weekend to have a chance at his fourth U.S. Open title.

3:37 – After a great meal at Chick-Fil-A I am back. Looks like Koepka is trying to make a late move up the leaderboard. Remember, I called it over for him about an hour ago. Maybe I was wrong, but I still think the leaders will be able to get to -8 or -9 which would mean the conditions need to be very difficult this weekend for Brooks to move towards the top.

2:32 – Once again, Tiger misses on the edge and two feet past the hole. He is definitely getting frustrated with the fact that a few of these putts are not dropping. Spieth saves bogey after a few very bad breaks. If you miss greens at the U.S. Open it should not be this easy to get up and down. Kuch hits one close after being dead left of a bunker. Rose brushes it in and goes back to -8. Time to go to Chick-Fil-A.

2:24 – Tiger hits a really good shot in to #2. He will likely burn the edge again. At one point these putts have to go. So, Jordan hit the rake when coming out of the bunker. I shit you not. He got out of the bunker but there was a rake over the lip of the bunker. “There is a rake there!” You don’t see that every day on the PGA Tour. Rose hits a fantastic shot in and will likely birdie #2 to go back to -8.

2:18 – Tiger is hitting 3 wood off #2. He needs to hit a good one here to have a chance to attack the green. He hits a power fade and is in good position. Chesson has the snap back! He tried to get away from it for awhile but it looks to be back. Keep the snap Chesson!

2:16 – It is almost time for me to go to my favorite Chick-Fil-A location to grab some lunch. I will watch one more hole for Rose, Spieth and Tiger.

2:11 – Spieth misses his birdie putt on the high side and a foot long. Just the way amateurs should do it but never do. Tiger will have about 20 feet for birdie to go -3. He needs this one to go down. He too misses it on the high side and a few feet long. Rose does a 180 and drops a shot. Another great putt but takes a bogey to go to -7.

2:06 – Tiger’s distance control is fantastic today. He just seems to be 10 yards left or right when approaching the green. Koepka is struggling to stay around -2 right now. These are the holes he needs to score on and it simply isn’t happening. That being said, Rose could definitely lose a shot on hole #1 as he had to lay up with a wedge out of the rough.

2:05 – Ahhhh, the good times when -12 at a U.S. Open was historic. Now it is just average. In fact, you will likely barely make the top 10 if you go -12 at the U.S. Open this year.

2:00 – Rose misses his tee shot in the right rough on #1. In normal U.S. Open conditions this is a guaranteed bogey. He will likely par it and could even birdie it today. Tiger rips one down the middle with an iron and should have a great birdie chance.

1:49 – Kuch is going to drop at least one shot, maybe two. Looks like Rose is going to have a big lead when it comes to those on the course. Obviously, the guys teeing off later will have something to say about that. Rose swings much harder at that bunker shot and leaves it about a foot for birdie. That will get him to -8. Rose shoots 34 on his third 9 and is leading by three. Another TV commercial break so we are going to thank Ashburn, VA dentist Shane Costa.

1:45 – Tiger lays up, Spieth hits a 3 wood just over the green and Rose leaves a 5 wood in the front right bunker. Brooks was unable to get up and down from there. We will see if Rosey can get up and down to go -8. Tiger is 125 in. He needs to stick this one close. He pulls it but is pin high about 20 feet for birdie.

1:37 – 3 wood for Rose off 18. Great shot. Tiger too hits a 3 wood and he mishits it. There is no way he is going for it in two. Jordan going with wood and hits a great one.

1:33 – Brooks misses his birdie chance on 18. I am calling it now, his chance to win this one is over. He needed to be -3 or -4 going into his fourth 9. Rose is going to be five or six strokes ahead of him after 27 holes. The reason I say his chances are over has to do with the conditions of the course. Leaders are going low and the golf is just easy for a U.S. Open. Unless the wind really picks up, we could see -10 or -11 in the lead heading into the weekend.

1:25 – After Justin Rose goes in the bunker short of the green on 17, Tiger hits a great shot. A 5 iron from 210 yards with trajectory. Easy enough. The follow through on Rose’s bunker shots is so soft. No amateur in America has a bunker follow through that smooth and slow. Koepka goes in the bunker right of 18 green and is going to struggle to birdie. This little stretch could be the end of his three peat chances. Tiger misses the putt on 17 but gave it a good run.

1:14 – Chesson Hadley hits one close on #1 which will take him to -6. This course is just way too easy. Where are the days when +2 wins the U.S. Open? Brooks stripes one down the middle and long on 18. He should take a birdie at worst from that position. If he can make the turn at -3 and get a few birdies on the front he will be right where he wants to be. Well, Chesson missed about a 3 foot putt for birdie and stays at -5.

1:11 – Koepka does not two putt. He takes a bogey at 17 for two straight days. That moves him back to -2. He definitely isn’t out of it, but needs to make a bit of a move from here on out. It doesn’t look like the field is coming back at all as the scoring conditions are great. The lead at the end of day 2 will likely be around -9.

1:09 – Tiger is now 10/11 scrambling as he gets up and down on 16. He stays at -2 and needs to get a birdie on 18 before making the turn and going low on the front 9.

1:07 – The first mention of the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. We will hear “Winged Foot” dozens of times over the next few days. Maybe they will actually make the course difficult rather than letting the pros shoot 65 and 66.

1:04 – Koepka hits a shot to the right side of the green on 17 for the second straight day. He will have to work to two putt and stay at -3. Tiger has 191 in on 16; he is hitting a 7 iron. A high draw that bounds into the rough. He will have an uphill chip out of the rough. He should be able to get up and down relatively easily.

1:00 – Rosey gets a birdie and takes a two shot lead at -7. Tiger hits an iron off 16 and puts it in the middle. Hadley gets a birdie on 18 to go back to -5.

12:51 – Tiger hitting a 9 iron from about 145 here. He hits a poor shot and leaves himself about 30 feet for birdie. Jordan has 118 in and hits a wedge over the green. He asked Michael Greller, “there is no way this can go long, right?” Jordan and Mike have had a few arguments on the course during this U.S. Open. It will be interesting to see how they converse moving forward. Our first TV commercial break so it is time to thank our Lakewood, Colorado dental friends at Mile High Smiles.

12:48 – Brooks hits the putt and goes to -3. He will definitely have some birdie opportunities on the front 9 as he started on the back 9. If he can birdie 18, look out.

12:44 – The 15th hole will be playing around 400 yards today but most are hitting iron off the tee box. Tiger whistles one down the middle and will have a short iron into the green. At 16, Koepka hits a great one and will have about 15 feet for birdie. “Good swing.” This is always something that bothers me because amateurs say good swing solely based on the outcome. Have you ever heard someone say “good swing” when the result isn’t great? Is it impossible to have a good swing and hit a bad shot? Ok, don’t with that rant. Chesson Hadley has a bogey and brings him back to -4.

12:42 – Jordan misses a shot putt and drops a shot on the par 5 14th. Tiger brushes his in and stays at -2. For those wondering, Brooke Koepka is at -2. He will need to get some birdies on the front 9 to let the rest of the field know he is going to be in contention to get his third straight.

12:38 – Chesson Hadley from Raleigh is at -5 and lurking. He plays out of Wakefield Plantation. It is nice to see a local guy doing well. Tiger makes the pitch at 14 look very easy. Jordan’s pitch is just as good, if not better. We get to listen to Shane Bacon and Brad Faxon for the first few hours of the FS1 broadcast.

12:36 – Jordan and Tiger both hit the front of the green on 14 and spin it back. As Jordan said, “full stroke penalty”. Let’s see if Justin Rose can manage to keep it on the green. He hits it hole high and shows why he is leading the U.S. Open. Aaron Wise looks like he has dropped a few but gets a birdie on 10 to go to -4.

12:31 – We come on air with footage of Tiger playing well. A birdie on 11. Jordan looks to be putting well as he birdies 10, 11 and 13. He is -3 through four holes. A great putting start for Jordan. Let’s see what happens with his ball striking.