Lingmerth leads despite stormy round at Potomac

MAMARONECK, N.Y. - Justin Thomas could have shot anything in the second round of the 82nd U.S. Open at Winged Foot on Friday. On a course where you must hit the fairway, he hit just three of them. The putts weren't dropping. He was 5 over for his first 10 holes. It was all slipping away. And then it wasn't. In a bounce-back that may have saved his chances for a second major title, Thomas birdied the long par-3 third hole and went 1 under the rest of the way for a 3-over 73 that left him 2 under, just two back. "Every single person in this tournament is going to go through a stretch where they get a bad run, especially here," he said. "... I wasn’t driving it well and then had a couple putts that easily could have gone in that kind of just stayed out. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Winged Foot fights back in Round 2 "But I just stayed positive" he added, "and kept fighting because I know that a 3 over is better than a 4 over, and today easily could have been a 6 or 7. I’m proud of myself for how I hung in." The second round brought significantly more wind, which sped the course up and made things considerably more difficult. Tiger Woods, one of Thomas' playing partners, struggled to a 77, and he wasn't even close to the worst of the casualties. Sung Kang shot 86, while Davis Thompson, the Georgia amateur who briefly held the first-round lead, shot 78 to miss the cut by one. It was that kind of day; the course bit back. Wayward with the driver, Thomas paid the usual price for inaccuracy at Winged Foot. He and his caddie Jimmy Johnson rolled with it, though, trusting that things would start to turn. "He knew and I knew that we were close to getting something and at least making some pars or throwing in a birdie or two," Thomas said. "He just kind of says to me, ‘Stay patient. Good things will happen. We’ve just got to keep playing our game.' And that’s what we did." Thomas found something with his tee shot at the third, his 12th hole of the day. He later called it the turning point. "I mean, that birdie on three was pretty sick," he said. "I mean, a 5-wood in there, 228 into the wind, and then just it was a really, really tough putt. I mean, I’m sure you could see with kind of the sun hitting the greens they weren’t exactly rolling true, but that’s how poa annua is and everybody has to deal with it in the afternoon. "That was a very quick double breaking putt," he added, "and that was nice. After playing No. 2 perfectly and just having it lip out, to birdie that hole almost feels like an eagle." Exhausted and out of daylight, he was due for some dinner and rest. He'll have some work on the driving range to do in order to straighten out the driver Saturday, but isn't overly worried. And at just two back, he likes his position. "It’s a better position than I’ve been in a U.S. Open before," he said. "This isn’t exactly a place where you go out and try to shoot 6 or 7 under to catch up."

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THE OVERVIEW A little less than two years ago, Kyle Stanley was ranked 327th in the world. Not so coincidentally, he ranked outside the top 125 in the PGA TOUR’s key putting statistics. The problem was obvious. This week, Stanley enters the Quicken Loans National as the defending champion. He’s currently ranked No. 38 in the world — and 34th in the FedExCup standings. He’s also ranked 43rd in Strokes Gained: Putting. The problem may not be completely solved – after all, who really solves the mystery of putting? – but it’s certainly been successfully addressed by the 30-year-old Stanley. Consequently, he’s playing the most consistent golf of his professional career. “The goal is to obviously be a complete player,â€� Stanley said. “I wouldn’t trade necessarily the way I hit the ball for really anyone out here.  On the weeks when I putt OK, I’m going to have a good week.â€� He’s having more and more good weeks. Last October, he tied for fifth at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, his first top-10 finish in his sixth career WGC start. He added another top-10 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and another top-5 finish at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Earlier this month, he was the 36-hole co-leader at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, eventually losing to Bryson DeChambeau in a three-man playoff. Last week, he posted four solid rounds at the Travelers Championship to finish T-15. If you think you’re seeing his name with more frequency on the first page of the leaderboard, well, it’s not a mirage. But there is room for improvement. He knows his short game isn’t as productive as his ball-striking, and he wants to be less of a streaky putter. In his win a year ago at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, the closer he got to the pin, the less productive he was. He ranked first in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, fourth in Approach the green, 32nd in Around the Green and 52nd in Putting. Still, he’s feeling good about where his game is trending. “I’m just really comfortable with what I’m doing out there,â€� Stanley said. “My preparation has been really good. Sometimes when you put the time in, maybe it might not pay off the next week. But, yeah, just from a preparation standpoint, I feel like we’re doing the right things. You know, getting a little bit older and figuring out maybe how to play some of these golf courses better.â€� It started in the spring of 2017 when he posted three top-10s in a five-tournament stretch, including a T-4 at THE PLAYERS, and culminated with last year’s victory when he beat Charles Howell III with a par on the first playoff hole. He comes into his title defense this week on another good stretch, with five top-15 finishes in his last eight starts. “I think at the beginning of the ’17 season I was ranked somewhere around 300 in the world, so in a pretty short period of time we’ve made some pretty significant strides so I’m really happy with that,â€� Stanley said. “I think it’s all about the perspective you have and in my mind, I feel like we’re doing a lot of really good things and our preparation’s been really good… “I think we just have to stick on the path that we’re on right now, seems to be working OK.â€� THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER Tiger Woods Will the mallet putter be the key to returning Tiger to the winner’s circle? Rickie Fowler Is the highest ranked player in the field in FedExCup points (16th overall). Stewart Cink His T-2 finish at Travelers was his best result since his last win, the 2009 Open Championship. THE FLYOVER Want to see some eagles made this week? Then check out the 10th and 14th holes at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms. A year ago, the par-5 10th allowed five eagles, while the drivable 299-yard par-4 14th gave up 15 eagles. More than 85 percent of all tee shots attempted to drive the green last year. LANDING ZONE Say hello to the hardest hole on the PGA TOUR. The 470-yard par-4 11th played to a stroke average of 4.521 last year, making it statistically the most difficult of all 900 holes played in the 2016-17 season. With brutally long rough, hitting the fairway is a must. “I remember last year I hit 5‑wood off that tee just to get the ball in play,â€� said defending champ Kyle Stanley. “… The rough last year was really pretty thick so if you were in it, it was somewhat difficult to get a long iron or what you needed to get to the green.â€� Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed a year ago. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams: “Scattered showers and thunderstorms should end by daybreak Thursday morning, with drier air allowing for clearing skies for the afternoon. High pressure is expected to build over the region and dominate Friday through the weekend, with hot and more humid conditions returning. Highs will likely top out in the low to mid-90s this weekend. Heat index values will likely make it feel like 100-105 degrees F during the afternoons.â€� For the latest weather news from Potomac, Maryland, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK There are no low scores here. BY THE NUMBERS +199 – Combined score by the field at the par-4 11th, the second-highest score of any hole on the PGA TOUR last season (the 18th at TPC Sawgrass was 214 over par). +1.458 – The average score over par last season at the Quicken Loans National – highest average of any tournament on the PGA TOUR 18 – Rounds in the 60s by Bill Haas at the Quicken Loans National, most sub-70 rounds of any player in this event. SCATTERSHOTS Like a lot of young players, Rickie Fowler grew up watching Tiger Woods, but he said the 14-time major winner didn’t impact his game. “I don’t want his head to get too big,â€� Fowler said with a smile. “He didn’t have an impact on me changing anything, but guys like him, Phil (Mickelson),, Freddie (Couples) was another guy that I enjoyed watching, looking up to, to Payne Stewart, really guys that were the best players in the world, guys that I looked up to and that was the position I wanted to be in.â€� Four of this season’s top-five birdie makers are in the field this week: Beau Hossler (314), Chesson Hadley (310), Brandon Harkins (304) and Kevin Tway (292). Kyle Stanley isn’t the only player in the field who knows what it’s like to win at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. David Lingmerth won the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Championship on the Web.com Tour when it was played on this course. A potential of four spots in the upcoming Open Championship at Carnoustie are available this week at the Quicken Loans National as part of the Open Qualifying Series. Open invites will go to the leading four players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 12 and ties.

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Day 1 of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship delivered. There were plenty of upsets, as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland all lost their opening matches. RELATED: Live scoring, tee times, bracket They'll be looking to dig themselves out a hole, while Cinderellas like University of Texas alum Dylan Frittelli and Antoine Rozner will try to keep busting brackets. This file will be updated live at the conclusion of each match to keep you apprised of the action from the TOUR's only match-play event. Return here often to learn about the latest upsets, comebacks and nail-biting finishes. MATCH RECAPS Group 15 MATT FITZPATRICK (1-1-0) def. COREY CONNERS (0-2-0), 5 and 4 They halved two of the first three holes with birdies, but the match of first-round losers turned lopsided as Fitzpatrick continued to rack up birdies and Conners again succumbed to mistakes. Fitzpatrick, who in four tries has never made it out of group play - he lost a tiebreaker to Kevin Na in 2017 - went 4-up with his fifth birdie of the day at the 10th hole. Conners, who had already given away two holes with front-nine bogeys, hit into the water at the 11th and conceded the hole. The lead was 5-up and the match was all but over. Group 10 PATRICK CANTLAY (2-0-0) def. CARLOS ORTIZ (1-1-0), 1-up There wasn't much give and take in this match of unbeatens in Group 10. Ortiz never led, and Cantlay never led more than 1-up. Both competitors played well, with Ortiz making five birdies in his loss. Cantley inched ahead with a 7-footer for birdie at 14, and the two traded birdies at the par-5 16th. Ortiz had one final attempt to tie the match, but his 15-footer for birdie from behind the hole at 18 curled off to the left. Cantlay has made 15 birdies in two days, and both of his matches (he beat Brian Harman, 1 up) went the distance. Cantlay said: "They've both (his matches) been extremely difficult. Sometimes match play is like that. Depending on the day, you have to bring it harder than other days. I've played really well. I'm happy with where my game is at, and I'm just going to keep plugging away." Group 7 PATRICK REED def. CHRISTIAAN BEZUIDENHOUT, 2 and 1 Reed got off to a fast start - three birdies in his first five holes - and never did let Bezuidenhout, the South African, back into the match once he won Nos. 8 and 9 and built a 3-up advantage through nine. Reed made four birdies in that opening nine, three of them coming from outside 13 feet. Bezuidenhout twice trimmed his deficit to 2-down, winning with a par when Reed messed up the 12th and making a nice birdie from a bunker at 16. Reed closed out the match with a par at 17. Reed said: "I got off to a better start on ballstriking. I was able to put myself in the right positions early, and because of that, I was able to be aggressive with the putting. I feel like if I can putt aggressively, it just seems to free everything up." JOAQUIN NIEMANN (0-0-2) tied BUBBA WATSON (0-0-2) Both players were hot and cold in a match that Watson never led but Niemann could never quite close out. Niemann birdied three of the first four holes to jump out to a 1-up lead. Watson, the 2018 champion here, continued to play well but also gave away holes with bogeys at Nos. 1 and 8, then hit into the water at the par-4 13th hole as Niemann built a 3-up lead. Then it was Niemann's turn to make mistakes as his three straight bogeys from Nos. 14-16 opened the door for Watson to square the match. Watson bogeyed the 17th but birdied 18 for the tie.

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