Canada's Pendrith, Conners in the mix heading into weekend at U.S. Open

PINEHURST, N.C. – While the best player in the world was flummoxed by a Pinehurst No. 2 that was crispy and mind-bending, Canadians Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners continued their straightforward approaches to the course and find themselves in the mix heading into the weekend at the U.S. Open.

With Conners in the top 10, and just four shots back of the lead held by Ludvig Aberg.

“I feel like I have a lot of confidence in my game. It will obviously be a big challenge I have this weekend,” Conners said. “I'm ready for it and looking forward to it.”

It was a tale of two nines for Conners and Pendrith, literally, as Pendrith made an unfortunate triple bogey on the par-3 9th to erase all of his hard work from earlier in the day — he was 4 under through 10 holes and had the round of the day going — to finish with an even-par 70. Conners, meanwhile, dropped his tee shot on No. 9 to just 23 inches for a closing birdie — the second day in a row he’s birdied his final hole of the day — to finish up at 1 under.

“It was a great way to end the day,” Conners said. “I wouldn’t say I necessarily had my best stuff all day with the irons – hit a lot of solid ones but just tried to be aggressive there. It was a good number. Hit a pretty solid 8-iron. Fortunately had a pretty good result.”

Conners is looking for his first major top-10 result since he rattled off three in a row at the Masters from 2020-2022. He’s had as steady a PGA Tour campaign as you ask for, having not missed a cut yet in 2024.

For the second day in a row, Conners made an early double bogey and had to claw his way back. But in steady Conners-like fashion, he did exactly that and now has put himself in position to notch not only a great result, but potentially even win a major.

Conners is just the eighth Canadian in tournament history to be inside the top 10 through 36 holes.

“This golf course… you can't really force anything. You just have to be patient, try to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves,” Conners said.

Pendrith, meanwhile, is not out of it by any means. He’s 1 over through 36 holes and made the cut for the first time at the U.S. Open in his last two attempts.

Pendrith was fifth in strokes gained: off the tee, and fifth in strokes gained: putting for the day – often a part of his game that gets overlooked because of how long he’s been known as a long-bomber.

“I played really solid honestly, all day. Wasn’t really ever out of position much. Overall, everything was super solid. The last hole, a little unfortunate, but all in all it was a great day,” Pendrith said.

“If I tripled the first hole today and shot even, I'd probably be thrilled. It is what it is. This place is super hard, and it can happen quickly.”

With temperatures soaring through Friday — the United States Golf Association issued a heat alert to spectators on site — Pinehurst No. 2 bared its teeth. 

Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 and the heavy favourite this week, was hamstrung by the treacherous green complexes at Pinehurst, sitting 91st in strokes gained: putting for the day and finishing at 5 over – making the cut on the number. Had he had an early exit, it would have been his first missed cut in 672 days.

“Today I just couldn't get the putts to fall. This golf course can be unpredictable at times, and maybe it got the better of me the last couple days,” Scheffler said.

Bryson DeChambeau, who finished runner-up at the PGA Championship and is tied for second after rounds of 67-69, said if the wind picks up then the players are in for a meaty test over the weekend.

“It’s going to be diabolical,” DeChambeau said.

Hideki Matsuyama shot the round of the day, a 4-under 66.

Matsuyama is eighth heading into the weekend while DeChambeau is tied for second with Thomas Detry and Patrick Cantlay.

First-round co-leader Rory McIlroy backed up after a 2-over 72 but will be just two shots back of the lead heading into Saturday. He’s tied for fifth with Tony Finau and Matthieu Pavon.

McIlroy was bogey-free in the first round and the last three times he’s opened a U.S. Open going without a square on the scorecard he’s gone on to win.

“With the way the golf course is and the way some of those hole locations are, I don't see anyone running away with it today, building up too much of a lead,” McIlroy said midday, a prediction that came to fruition as the sun tucked behind the Carolinian pines.

McIlroy has already locked up his Olympic spot for Paris in a few weeks’ time, but there remains a crack in the door for the Canadian squad.

Nick Taylor (No. 32 in the world) and Adam Hadwin (No. 35) currently own the qualified spots, but they both missed the cut at Pinehurst. Taylor (74-74) hasn’t found the weekend in eight straight major championship starts. Hadwin was close to making the cut before going four over in a four-hole stretch on his back nine to shoot a 3-over 73. He finished at 7 over.

While it’s unlikely Pendrith will make a quantum leap up the standings, he certainly has a chance now that he’s made the cut. A solo 11th for Conners would see him jump into a qualifying spot based on mathematical projections – through two rounds he’s close to doing exactly that.

Adam Svensson will make the cut after rounds of 73-70 got him to 3 over. At No. 89 in the world, even a victory this weekend may not catapult him into Olympic contention — but this is the second straight U.S. Open he’s made the cut at. 

Mackenzie Hughes struggled to a 12-over 82 on Friday at Pinehurst after opening with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the first hole — and wasn’t able to recover. At No. 66 in the world, he has quashed his chances to earn his way to Paris.

Amateur Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. — the first Canadian amateur to qualify for the U.S. Open since 2018 — will also miss the weekend after firing back-to-back 75s to finish 10 over for the tournament.