New York, United States: Japan’s Takumi Kanaya fell one shot shy of making the half-way cut in the 120th US Open.
Number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), the 22-year-old followed an opening two-over-par 72 at Winged Foot Golf Club with a 75.
Agonisingly, his 36-hole total of seven-over 147 proved one too many to survive for the weekend. American John Pak was the only one of the 13 amateurs in the starting field to qualify for the closing two rounds.
In difficult conditions, Kanaya ran up eight bogeys. Despite three birdies it was not quite enough for the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) winner to progress.
Also bowing out was Chinese Taipei’s Yu Chun-an, a fifth-year senior at Arizona State University. The leading Asian after an opening even-par 70, Yu, third in the WAGR, returned a second-round 80, which included a triple-bogey seven at the 16th.
While Australian Curtis Luck, the 2016 AAC winner, missed the cut after rounds of 75 and 76, two-time AAC winner Hideki Matsuyama is well positioned to challenge for his maiden Major title over the closing 36 holes.
The 28-year-old Japanese carded a one-under 69 to rise into a share of seventh place on 140 – four strokes behind pace-setting American Patrick Reed.
“The wind was so strong,” said Matsuyama, who has 14 worldwide professional victories to his name. “If these conditions continue, no one will finish under par. For the weekend, I hope I can be as tenacious as I have been for these first two days."
Matsuyama, who will play alongside two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson in round three at Winged Foot, is making his eighth appearance in the tournament. In his first US Open start in 2013 at Merion Golf Club he tied for 10th. In 2017 at Erin Hills he shared second place after firing a final-round 66.
On Friday, slightly chillier temperatures, a bit more of a breeze (10-15 miles per hour with gusts to 20) and some challenging hole locations restored the 7,458-yard, par-70 Winged Foot layout to beast mode.
While day one yielded an unprecedented 21 sub-par scores, just six golfers were still in red figures after 36 holes. The scoring average went from 72.56 – the second-lowest first-round average behind only Baltusrol in 1993 – to 75.25. That increase of 2.69 strokes from round one to round two is the largest in US Open history (Pinehurst in 1999 was the previous high at 2.58).
With winds switching to a northerly breeze, many competitors went south.
First-round leader Justin Thomas, whose 65 on Thursday was the lowest score ever posted in a Winged Foot US Open, hit only three fairways en route to a 73. Rory McIlroy, the 2011 champion, went from a 67 to a 76. Lee Westwood, at age 47 still seeking his first Major title in his 83rd start, shot a 76 after an opening 67. Matthew Wolff, the 21-year-old wunderkind who is coming off a tie for fourth in the PGA Championship, also fired a 76 following his sizzling 66.
Among the notables to miss the cut were defending champion Gary Woodland and past US Open champions Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, as well as Phil Mickelson, the runner-up at Winged Foot in 2006, and 2019 US Senior Open champion Steve Stricker.
