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.
“I really felt like I could be in double digits (under par), but the great thing about that is I didn’t feel like I had my best, and I still am leading as of right now,” Clark said. “Hopefully I can bring my A-game on the weekend.”
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).
Clark, who led by four shots when play was called due to darkness Thursday night, was up at 4 a.m. on Friday to finish the first round with a two-shot lead over 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson.
“I’m going to really be looking forward to a nap and watching USA hopefully win a (World Cup) game,” Clark said.
Up until a month ago, Clark was in a nightmare stretch dating back to the 2024 U.S. Open, where he damaged an Oakmont locker after missing the cut.
“I was on top of the world in my game at least when I won the U.S. Open and then had some good years,” he said. “Then next thing you know, I’m apologizing for breaking a locker the year later.”
His world ranking — as high as No. 3 in April 2024 — was 78 this April. But he caught fire in the last month — his putting, in particular — with a win, a solo third and a T11 in his last three tournaments.
“I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so,” Clark said when asked about Oakmont. “The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am, what happened last year.
“I’m hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident. I really feel like I can show people that I’m fun and outgoing, I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment. Hopefully I can win those people back.”
Fitzpatrick and Gary Woodland, the 2019 champ, were three back. Jon Rahm, the 2021 champ, was in a group of five men who were four shots behind.
While Clark shot a 1-under 69 in round two — despite missing four consecutive fairways on the back nine — Johnson (77 in round two), Woodland (73) and Rahm (78) all went backwards.
Schauffele, who won the PGA and the Open Championship in 2024, briefly held a share of the lead Thursday before four bogeys in a seven-hole stretch for an opening 71.
On Friday, he found his sterling U.S. Open form with a 4-under 66. Schauffele finished in the top 15 in all nine of his previous U.S. Open finishes, a record beaten only by Jack Nicklaus.
“I feel like you just go to war every day when you play a U.S. Open,” Schauffele said. “I’m a sicko. I think that’s kind of fun sometimes.”
Xander Schauffele has birdied 4 of his last 8 holes to move to solo 2nd place.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 19, 2026
Schauffele has finished in the top-15 in all 9 of his U.S. Open starts. The only player with a longer such streak since WWII is Jack Nicklaus (12 straight).
Morikawa matched the best round of the morning — a 5-under 65. The 2020 PGA champion and 2021 Open champion is still managing a back injury that forced him to withdraw from The Players on March 12.
“There’s still some shots that I can’t hit, and that’s a little unfortunate,” said Morikawa, who celebrates his first Father’s Day as a dad on Sunday. “I’ve got enough shots out here to be able to work with.”
Johnson, who is 41 and in the last year of his 10-year U.S. Open exemption, looked like the Johnson of old in the first round after becoming an afterthought at majors since joining LIV Golf in 2022.
But he reverted to recent form on Friday, going from 4 under to 4 over during a five-hole stretch capped by a quadruple bogey.
The afternoon wave is headlined by Rory McIlroy, who begins the day at 1 under, and Scottie Scheffler, who is 2 over.
