Lowry leads U.S. Open by four through 54

Once the second wave of second rounders have finished, all those that make the cut will proceed to the third round with the aim of finally catching up with the schedule by the end of the day. And best of all, no wake-up call.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to play another four holes as I was getting exhausted but I’m really looking forward to getting out there on Sunday”, said the world number 41.

It comes as players continue to catch-up after storm limited play on the first day of action. They would have to wait though to know for sure if they were safe as half the field had yet to complete their second 18 and playing conditions were as good as they have been all week. Branden Grace at 1 under and Jason Day at 1 over are two to watch out for. He has bounced back from an unfortunate penalty stroke during his second round and settled into the lead.

“I still like even par”. For the most part, Johnson’s rocket engines were stuck in a holding pattern as missed putts continued to stymie birdie attempts.

With one hole still to play, Adam Scott is 2-over for the day to be T12 on the same number for the tournament.

QUOTEWORTHY: “To hole that second putt was massive for me, and massive for my whole day”.

He has kept his momentum with five straight birdies and an eagle on the fourth hole. That said, he’s avoiding bogeys and if the course gets tougher, two-putt pars and quality ball striking could be enough for him. But hopefully I give myself an opportunity tomorrow.

He seems to thrive under stress, and there is nothing more stressful than Sunday at the Open when the pins are put in precarious positions and the greens run faster than they have all week. “You need to hit it perfectly, and I missed it”.

“I don’t think it matters in times like this when it’s just mentally and physically gruelling”.

Day is certainly familiar with them. The long-hitting Florida player, ranked fourth in the world, also won a Japan LPGA event last month.

It may be an advantage that nobody in front of him on the leaderboard has won a major. Johnson has 11 top-10 finishes in majors but is still searching for his first victory. I mean you never know. “So yeah, I’m two ahead with 22 holes left”.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves”, the Irish player said. These are the best golfers in the world behind me. Sergio played lovely today.

“I’ve been doing quite well so far with my game plan”.

Since Thursday’s multiple downpours, the course has slowly regained the fire that all expected early in the week. It was costly, considering he posted a 70 and was two shots behind Johnson at the start of the third round instead of one….

Even after a solid 69 in round two, no one was taking Day seriously as he came into Saturday’s afternoon round trailing the lead by eight strokes.

Note: The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced Saturday that the U.S. Open Championship will return to Oakmont Country Club in 2025. Jordan Spieth is out of contention.

TAKE THE REST OF THE WEEKEND OFF: You could stage a pretty good tournament with the major champions and stars who missed the cut – Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Rickie Fowler, among others.