The leaderboard tightened considerably at the top, on day two of the 2022 U.S. Open. 5 under par became the new standard for excellence, where two sat atop the board. Five more reached 4 under, with eight more at three deep. A total of 23 golfers broke par after two days, but now comes the weekend and the superintendent’s revenge. Watch for trickier hole locations and a few more big numbers.

In the middle of the field, the cut was set at +3, which meant that 54 golfers would advance to the weekend, while 92 more would drive past The Country Club gates one last time. Cameron Young made the most spirited run at survival. Following two bogeys and a quad to start his final nine, the former Demon Deacon went birdie, ace, birdie, birdie, to get to +4. His attempt at another three on the 18th went wanting, and Young was on the outside, gazing in.

That's a 1??!

Cameron Young with the 48th hole-in-one in #USOpen history. pic.twitter.com/5YjmDDGOSZ

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

1. 2013 US Amateur Experience Edge Goes to Scheffler

With all the attention that the important golf media (aka this writer) paid to Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler was overlooked. The 2022 Masters champion was three matches shy of earning the 2013 US Amateur crown. Scheffler qualified out of match play with a 144 total, 10 behind the medalists. In match play, he dispatched Stewart Jolly, Brandon Hagy, and Matthias Schwab, before falling on the 18th green to co-medalist Brady Watt.

On Friday at Brookline, Scheffler played his first six hole in +2 figures, and was staring at a missed cut. As major champions do, the Texan found his game. The next twelve holes saw three birdies and one eagle join eight pars, and Scheffler moved from two-over to three-under par. Fitzpatrick survived a three-bogey run with a pair of closing birdies, totalled par for day two, and ended 36 at two-under par, one back of Scheffler.

Trust what works.

Describe Scottie Scheffler's action using one emoji below ??

4D swings are powered by @Cisco. pic.twitter.com/scnhQY74Of

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

2. Longhorn Nation is Chanting “Vick”

Travis Vick led three amateurs into the  final 36 holes, on the wings of his Friday round of one-under par. Vick began the day at even par, and parlayed four birdies against three birdies to move inside the top twenty. Behind the UTexas golfer stood fellow amateurs Austin Greaser at +2, and Sam Bennett and Stewart Hagestad at +3. Greaser qualified into the Open as runner-up in the 2021 US Amateur, Hagestad as 2021 US Mid-Amateur champion, while Vick and Bennett qualified in through preliminary rounds.

Fred Biondi was one of the amateurs who missed the cut, but he’ll take this memory away from Brookline.

Making those Gator fans proud with a hole-out eagle! #USOpen@FredBiondi | @GatorsGolf pic.twitter.com/johWA3nCCy

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

3. Where’d these guys come from?

Hayden Buckley, Aaron Wise, and Beau Hossler sit on four-under par after 36 holes. Nick Hardy, Matthew NeSmith, and Patrick Rodgers lie in wait at three deep. All are decorated golfers, having earned their stripes in NCAA, Amateur individual, and Amateur team play. Now they find themselves in rarefied air, near the top of the leader’s chart at the US Open. Every kid’s dream, for sure, but every adult’s nightmare. The eyes of the world are on them, but this is what they’ve trained, sacrificed, and sweated for. As we saw in May, a Mito Pereira can come agonizingly close to stunning the world with a major title from nowhere. Can one of the aforementioned names take the next step and achieve it? Perhaps, with shots like this one.

In the house at -4! @hbuckley13 finishes his second round with an unlikely birdie. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/4gUs3iomvt

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

4. Where everybody knows your name

Defending champion Jon Rahm is at four under par, alongside 2011 winner Rory McIlroy. Brooks Koepka is a bit farther away but, after 67 on Friday, is positioned well to avoid the spiked greens that the later starters will face on day three. As a two-time Open champion, Koepka knows how to resolve this sort of matter in his favor. At minus-one are are Will Zalatoris and Xander Schauffele. Z and X are two of the players most often mentioned as Best Player To Never Win A Major, and each would love to shed that title. Our money is on one of these five players, or the guy that you’ll read about in point number five. Let’s have some fun for the next two days.

The first #USOpen eagle of Jon Rahm's pro career moves him within a shot of the lead. pic.twitter.com/PnMgPZEJ2K

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022

5. The final pairing includes two fan favorites

Fans love Collin Morikawa because he smiles all the time, and he is a proven winner. With two major title to his credit, a win at the US Open would leave him a Masters shy of a career grand slam. Fans love Joel Dahmen because he wears a 1970s  B-Movie stash and a wide-brimmed sombrero, along with a razor-sharp wit. If this were a night of stand-up, our money would be on Dahmen. It’s not, so we have to ride with Morikawa. That said, do we hope and pray that Dahmen will keep up and shine? Absolutely. After all, he just needs to keep doing this to stay in the hunt and keep us smiling.

From nearly 60 feet…DRAINO! @Joel_Dahmen regains a share of the lead. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/TOS4cMEPNl

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 17, 2022