Greatness was predicted for Paul Casey of England at an early age, and although he has had a solid career, it has eluded him because of injuries and inconsistent play.
However, Casey (pictured) showed what he is made of in round two of the U.S. Open when he overcame a triple-bogey 8 on the 14th hole to card a 1-under-par 71 and tie for the lead with Bran Harman, Brooks Koepka and fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood at Erin Hills in Hartford, Wis.
“Not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an 8 on the card, but I’m a pretty happy man,” said Casey, whose best result in a major was a tie for third in the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews. “Yeah, it was a bit of a roller coaster.
“There will probably be more nerves, more excitement. There is a lot of golf to be played here. … You’ve got to be very patient and stay in the moment. I know it’s cliche, but the last thing you need to be doing is thinking ahead, especially on this golf course.”
Casey, whose 17 pro victories include only the 2009 Shell Houston Open on the PGA Tour, started on the back nine and after the triple bogey bounced back with five straight birdies through the third hole to share the top spot at 7-under 137 through 36 holes.
Harman, Koepka and Fleetwood all posted 70s.
Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, who led after the first round with a 65, stumbled to a 73 that included three straight bogeys on the back nine and is one stroke back in a tie for fourth with J.B. Holmes and Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe and USC, who both had their second straight 69.
Fourth-ranked Hideki Matsuyama of Japan recorded a bogey-free 65 that included six birdies on the front nine and is two back in a tie for eighth with Brandt Snedeker (69), Brendan Steele (69) of Idyllwild and UC Riverside, Si Woo Kim (70) of South Korea,
amateur Cameron Champ (69), and Xander Schauffele (73) of San Diego.
Masters champion Sergio Garcia of Spain, ranked seventh in the world, is tied for 19th after a 71, while fifth-ranked Jordan Spieth is tied for 43rd after his own 71.
However, six players in the world top 10 missed the cut, which came at 145.
Sixth-ranked Henrik Stenson of Sweden totaled 74-73–147, top-ranked defending champion Dustin Johnson finished at 75-73–148, second-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland shot 78-71–149, 10th-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain wound up at 76-73–149, eighth-ranked Alex Noren of Sweden totaled 73-77–150 and third-ranked Jason Day of Australia came in at 79-75–154.
