U.S. Open 2026 Round 2 Recap: Wyndham Clark in control heading into weekend at Shinnecock

Dylan Wu needed some finesse at the 18th to make the cut after two late bogeys had him right on the number at 4 over. The result was this stunner off the green. He would go on to make the par putt and advance to the weekend.

Wyndham Clark maintains his lead at 7 under with a four-stroke advantage over the chaser group. Xander Schauffele and Tom Kim shot 4 under and 3 under today to jump up the leaderboard and will be ones to watch as we enter the weekend.

The cut will be 4 over.

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Rory McIlroy is seven shots behind after two rounds at the U.S. Open, but knows recent history proves he’s not out of contention.

He noted that, the last time Shinnecock hosted in 2018, eventual champion Brooks Koepka was pretty far after 36 holes (five shots behind).

“So, yeah, if there’s a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you’re seven back going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” McIlroy said.

On Friday, McIlroy was clean on the front nine with two birdies. Then he bogeyed Nos. 10, 11 and 12, birdied 13 (approach to 10 inches) and 14 (43-foot putt) and double-bogeyed 15.

He goes into the weekend tied for 11th at even par, seven shots behind leader Wyndham Clark but just three behind the top chasers.

More from Nick Zaccardi.

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Miles Russell, at 17 the youngest player at the U.S. Open, just wanted to see how his game measured up to the best in the world.

Well, he’s tied for 48th at 3 over with the likes of Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson. He will play the weekend, unlike Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

Russell, from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, is the second-youngest man to make a U.S. Open cut since World War II.

Read more from Nick Zaccardi.

Wyndham Clark is currently 7 under and four strokes ahead of the group at T-2 and 3 under.

His Round 1 64 and round 2 69 is a 36-hole scoring record in a U.S. Open at Shinnecock.

Rory McIlroy was in trouble to start the back nine, carding three straight bogeys on Nos. 10-12. He has since birdied Nos. 13 & 14 to get back to 1 under for the day and 2 under overall.

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Many golfers put apparel or clubs sponsors on their hats. But Chase Kyes, an amateur making his U.S. Open debut, is playing for Hoover Toyota this week.

Kyes carded a 5-over 75 in the first round at Shinnecock Hills with his local Alabama car dealership occupying that prime sponsor real estate.

Last week, Kyes garnered social media attention after qualifying for the U.S. Open and telling Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner in an on-camera interview, “I didn’t know it (the U.S. Open) was next week.”

Kyes, a 20-year-old from Birmingham, is coming off his freshman season at the University of Tennessee.

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Bryson DeChambeau was in high spirits after sunset Thursday. He was under par at a major for the first time in 2026 and marveling over a 427-yard drive.

The vibe changed Friday.

He bogeyed the last hole of his first round, then shot 75 in the second round with back-to-back double bogeys to finish at 5 over, projected to miss the cut at Shinnecock Hills.

DeChambeau, the U.S. Open winner in 2020 and 2024, would miss three consecutive major cuts for the first time.

He is second in the field in strokes gained off the tee (+1.87), but 148th in strokes gained approach (-1.82) with players still finishing the second round.

DeChambeau has one major left this year — the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale next month. His long-term future is less clear given LIV Golf’s uncertain status.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is 2 under through eight holes and 3 under overall — currently T-2.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, in pursuit of the career Grand Slam this week, is 1 under through six and 1 over overall.

Miles Russell, at 17 the youngest player in the field, is 2 under on his second round and tied for 14th at even. The Jacksonville Beach high schooler could become the second-youngest man since World War II to make a U.S. Open cut after Beau Hossler, who was a younger 17 in 2012.

While many men in the U.S. Open field were inspired as kids by Tiger Woods’ win at the 1997 Masters, Russell’s first vivid golf-watching memory was Woods’ win at the 2019 Masters.

Russell, the nation’s top-ranked junior player, is grouped with the oldest player in the field, 54-year-old Padraig Harrington. Russell wasn’t alive when Harrington won his three majors in 2007 and 2008.

More on Russell here: https://www.nbcsports.com/golf/news/miles-russell-us-open-shinnecock

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Joaquin Niemann counted the minutes — 37 — between being assessed a two-shot penalty for throwing a sand wedge (a transgression he owned up to) and the start of one of the best bounce-back rounds in U.S. Open history.

On Friday morning, Niemann was notified after signing his first-round scorecard (a 76 that turned into a 78) of the two-shot penalty for his club throw Thursday night before his round was halted due to darkness.

“I was trying to argue back and try to don’t get those two-shot penalty,” said Niemann, a 27-year-old from Chile. “But it’s their decision, and I feel like I wouldn’t be happy seeing players throwing clubs and behaving that way so yeah, I mean, I agree.”

Read more from Nick Zaccardi.

You know that two-stroke penalty Joaquin Niemann was assessed for throwing his club in Round 1? Resulting in a septuple bogey?

Apparently not enough to keep him from making the cut. He has matched the low-round of the day with a 5-under 65 and is projected to play the weekend.

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — When the U.S. Open opening round finished early Friday, five past champions littered the first page of the leaderboard.

Two of them kept their standing after round two. The first is Wyndham Clark, the 2023 champion who is 7 under (a 36-hole Shinnecock record) and leads by four shots after the morning wave.

The second is Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 champ (3 under) now joined in the chasers group by two-time major winners Xander Schauffele (3 under) and Collin Morikawa (2 under).

Read more from Nick Zaccardi.

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Jon Rahm became the first player to shoot a bogey-free round at a Shinnecock Hills-hosted U.S. Open in 22 years.

Rahm wrapped up his opening round on Friday with five consecutive pars to stay at 2 under, where he was when play was suspended Thursday due to darkness.

Rahm finished four shots behind leader Wyndham Clark, but the only player in the 156-man field to go bogey-free.

Read more from Nick Zaccardi.

Dustin Johnson was 4 under and just off the lead before an unceremonious fall down the leaderboard on the back nine.

He is currently 7 over on the day and 3 over, overall, after carding double bogey, bogey, bogey, quadruple bogey between Nos. 11-15.

It’s only Friday, but Shinnecock is playing for easier than anyone expected. And 2023 U.S. Open champion Clark now leads by four at 7 under.

Too early to really project the cut, but right now it’s sitting around 3 over.

Wyndham Clark is still leading at 6 under but is even through his second round.

A trio of notable names is three back from Clark at 3 under, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Dustin Johnson and Corey Conners.

Favorites Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler don’t tee off until after 2 p.m. ET.

Early rounds of the day are coming form Collin Morikawa and Joaquin Niemann, although they’re further down the leaderboard. Morikawa has the best chance of making noise as he’s currently T-8 at 1 under overall. Niemann is T-77 at 4 over.

Incredible shot from 135 yards out!

LIV’s Joaquin Niemann was assessed a two-stroke penalty after throwing his club on No. 6 during Round 1. The USGA said this was “serious misconduct” under Rule 1.2b.

The club-throwing happened after Niemann made a quintuple-bogey 9 on the par-4 sixth. That was changed to a septuple-bogey 11 after the penalty.

In all, he went from even par to 7 over in the span of one hole.

With wind gusts expected throughout the weekend at Shinnecock, the USGA broke down the rules for when wind gusts blow your ball across the green and how to properly play it.

Watch this so you know what’s accepted (and what’s not) this weekend:

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Scheffler is 2 over after Round 1, salvaging what was a 3 over round at one point. The four-time major winner turns 30 on Sunday, and if things go according to his plans, he’ll be hoisting the U.S. Open trophy in celebration — the final piece of his career Grand Slam puzzle.

Here’s a look at Scheffler’s major wins and how he got to this first attempt at the GS:

1. 2022 Masters
2. 2024 Masters
3. 2025 PGA
4. 2025 Open

Scheffler’s best win at the U.S. Open was a T-2 in 2022.

Fun fact: The USGA has 10,201 entries for the 2026 U.S. Open — one short of the all-time record of 10,202, which was set in 2025.

USGA CEO Mike Whan and Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer joked on Wednesday that if they would’ve known, they would’ve entered themselves to set a new record.

This is the fourth consecutive year and fifth time overall with more than 10,000 entries

• 2014: 10,127
• 2023: 10,187
• 2024: 10,052
• 2025: 10,202

Entries for the 2026 U.S. Open were received from all 50 states including 390 from host state New York, as well as Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the United States Armed Forces and 49 foreign countries.

Rory McIlroy — the 2026 (and 2025) Masters winner — is currently T-9 at 1 under after a gritty Round 1. He is five strokes back from leader Wyndham Clark and within a couple of those in between them.

Aaron Rai — the 2026 PGA Championship winner — is currently T-92 and 4 over. He will finish his Round 1 (one hole remaining) on Friday morning.

17 players were under par after the conclusion of play on Thursday. Here’s what the leaderboard looks like as Round 1 plays resumes this morning.

Here’s what you may have missed after Day 1 at Shinnecock Hills:

• Wyndham Clark tames Shinnecock as winds ease in historic U.S. Open start
• Bryson DeChambeau hits 427-yard drive at U.S. Open
• Jason Day withdraws from U.S. Open during first round
• What Scottie Scheffler said after U.S. Open first round
• Rory McIlroy in early U.S. Open contention with two career goals at stake

2026 U.S. Open Round 2 featured groups

* - Indicates a start on Hole 10

2026 U.S. Open Round 2 tee times

* - Indicates a start on Hole 10