U.S. Open Round 2 results: Rickie Fowler stays atop leaderboard after steady outing in LA

Zac Al-Khateeb

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David Suggs

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U.S. Open Round 2 results: Rickie Fowler stays atop leaderboard after steady outing in LA image

It was always going to be hard for Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele to keep up their historic pace during the second round of the U.S. Open. The duo jostled back-and-forth for control of the leaderboard in Round 1, all while setting the U.S. Open record for lowest round — matching 62s.

Fowler and Schauffele were dominant on Thursday. Friday was a slightly different story.

MORE: U.S. Open tee times, TV coverage, live stream | Live leaderboard

Fowler was unable to keep his scorching-hot form, especially after the sun peaked over the L.A. redwoods. Still, he was methodical off the tee. More often than not, Fowler placed his approach shots delicately on the green. On the few occasions he bogeyed a hole, he recovered swiftly — Fowler added another eight birdies Friday, making that 18 across his first two days, also a U.S. Open record.

That helped keep Fowler fastened to the top of the field. He posted a 2-under 68 on Day 2 and gained sole possession of the lead.

Schauffele, on the other hand, wobbled. The seven-time PGA Tour winner fared decently in his front nine, even posting birdies on 6 and 8.

But the struggles piled up as his day went on. Three straight bogeys on the back side displaced him from his first-place tie. And although he pulled things together in the final few holes, he finished the day at even par.

MORE: Watch the U.S. Open live with Fubo (free trial)

Fowler clearly is the man to beat through two rounds. But a host of players are making their presence felt, from 2011 U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy (-8, T-3) to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (-5, T8) to Sam Bennett, who just recently turned pro following a successful showing as an amateur at the PGA Championship (-5, T8). 

There has been a whole lot of good golf on display through 36 holes. And with the field cut down by more than half for the weekend, things should only get better.

MORE: Projected cut, rules, updates for Friday's U.S. Open leaderboard

The Sporting News tracked live scores, results, and highlights from Friday's Round 2 of the U.S. Open. Follow below to see the action as it happened from Los Angeles Country Club:

U.S. Open leaderboard 2023

Rank Player To par (Thru)
T-1 Rickie Fowler -10 (F)
2 Wyndham Clark -9 (F)*
T-3 Rory McIlroy -8 (F)*
T-3 Xander Schauffele -8 (F)
5 Harris English -7 (F)*
T-6 Dustin Johnson -6 (F)
T-6 Min Woo Lee -6 (F)

* - Started on 10th tee

U.S. Open live updates, highlights from Friday's Round 2

(All times Eastern)

9:50 p.m.: Easy to focus on the top of the field, and rightfully so. But spare some applause for Collin Morikawa, who appears to have made it into the weekend after sinking his birdie putt on 7.

9:46 p.m.: Buckets...Fowler places another inch-perfect putt into the target. 18 birdies in the first two rounds for Fowler. He's got sole possession of first...again. What a display.

9:40 p.m.: After going 24 holes without a bogey, Schauffele is hitting a snag. That's his third straight bogey, bringing him three strokes off the lead. LACC is showing some teeth in Round 2.

9:16 p.m.: Things are starting to unravel a bit for Schauffele. Approach shot ricochets into and out of the green. Not the worst lie in the world, but it will be a challenge for him to keep pace with Fowler at this rate.

9:10 p.m.: Fowler looking back to his best after a few wobbles earlier today. Another birdie takes him into sole possession of first-place.

9:02 p.m.: Schauffele going to fall into a tie for third after just missing on his putt for par on 13.

8:50 p.m.: Things remain tight at the top of the leaderboard. Fowler and Schauffele still holding tall alongside Clark at nine under. Five and six holes remaining, respectively.

8:15 p.m.: Gutsy birdie on 13 for Fowler. Curls the ball right into the cup from 20 feet out. Strong bounce back for the sole leader after two straight bogeys.

8:05 p.m.: Strong play by Schauffele, coupled with a few less-than-ideal strokes from Fowler, means there's a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard. Still half a course to go.

7:40 p.m.: Schauffele continues to keep the pressure on Fowler. Smooth birdie takes him to nine under, one stroke behind the leader.

7:15 p.m.: Hasn't been the best of runs for Justin Rose. He does have this sumptuous birdie on 8, though. Could the tides be shifting for the Englishman?

6:55 p.m.: What's the golf equivalent of Lob City? Asking for a friend.

6:45 p.m.: Nice to see Fowler can still take a joke, even after missing his putt for par on 7. The leader did his best Michael Jordan impression with this shrug after a fan asked him what he was doing.

6:40 p.m.: What a play by Gordon Sargent, who has continued his strong play into Day 2. The amateur is looking more like a pro with every swing.

6:25 p.m.: The good times continue for Fowler, who sinks his fourth (!!) birdie of the day. That moves him back to 11 under.

5:50 p.m.: DeChambeau is charging. Three birdies in his first five holes. That moves him in a tie for sixth place.

5:30 p.m.: Yet another birdie for Fowler. What a start by the clubhouse leader through three.

5:18 p.m.: Nearly ended his round with an ace, but McIlroy will finish Friday with a tap-in birdie to move to 8 under:

5:16 p.m.: Can't ask for much better of a start for Jon Rahm, who has an eagle to begin Round 2:

5:08 p.m.: How about another birdie for Fowler in just his second hole? He's back to the top of the leaderboard at 10 under, and putting that new putter to work.

4:59 p.m.: Fowler's right back where he left off with a birdie on his first hole.

4:26 p.m.: Smith back at it on the par-5 eighth:

4:04 p.m.: And there's another birdie for Clark to get back to the outright lead.

3:57 p.m.: From disaster to triumph in a matter of seconds for Brooks Koepka:

3:48 p.m.: A net positive for Rory on Holes 3-5:

3:31 p.m.: Considering the lie on this ball, this is nothing less than impressive for Cameron Smith.

3:28 p.m.: Nice shot from Dustin Johnson.

3:01 p.m.: Rory birdie to get him three back of the leaders:

2:40 p.m.: There's an impressive birdie for Spieth on Hole 11, among the longest par 3s in U.S. Open history:

2:29 p.m.: Kind of hard to miss birdie from there, Min Woo Lee.

12:53 p.m.: Matthew Fitzpatrick becomes the first defending U.S. Open champion to hole an ace with this beauty on 15:

12:52 p.m.: What a birdie by Clark to move into the outright lead!

12:24 p.m.: Wyndham Clark moves back into a three-way tie for first:

12:12 p.m.: Rory McIlroy bounces back with a birdie on Hole 3 — following a bogey on 2 — to get back to 5 under for the tournament.

12:07 p.m.: Lag-putt birdie from Tom Kim? Lag-putt birdie from Tom Kim.

Noon: Bogey notwithstanding, supreme confidence from Jordan Spieth on the second hole.

11:50 a.m.: Not a great spot for Dustin Johnson here. (Check out The Sporting News' detailed background of the L.A. Country Club's famed barranca).

11:29 a.m.: There's a birthday birdie for Phil Mickelson on the third, moving him back to 1 under for the tournament:

10:57 a.m.: Heck of an approach by Andrew Putnam to set up an easy birdie attempt:

10:34 a.m.: That's quite a putt by Brent Grant to birdie on Hole 12 and get back to 2 over for the tournament:

10 a.m.: And we're off at Round 2 with this 346-yard drive from Echavarria.

9:04 a.m.: Ross Fisher, Nico Echavarria and Paul Haley have the first tee of the day at 9:45 a.m. Until then, here are the hole locations for Round 2 at the L.A. Country Club:

MORE: Who will win the U.S. Open in 2023? Expert picks

What channel is the U.S. Open on today?

  • Date: Friday, June 16
  • TV channel: NBC, USA Network
  • Live stream: Peacock, Fubo, NBC Sports App, USOpen.com

NBC and USA Network will broadcast the 2023 U.S. Open, including Friday's coverage. Peacock will have exclusive coverage through 1 p.m. ET, at which point USA will air the main broadcast until 8 p.m. From there, NBC will take over the broadcast until 11 p.m. ET.

For those who want to live stream the 2023 U.S. Open, there are a few options:

— Peacock (subscription required) will carry the main broadcast from 9:40 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. Peacock will also broadcast featured groups and featured holes throughout the day.

— Fubo carries NBC and USA Network, so you will be able to watch the main broadcast on the streaming service throughout the weekend. Fubo also carries a free trial.

— NBC Sports app and USOpen.com (subscription required) will also have coverage of the event.

MORE: Ranking the top 30 golfers playing at the 2023 U.S. Open

The complete broadcast schedule for Friday's second round is below.

Time (ET) Focus Channel/Live stream
9:40 a.m.-1 p.m. Main broadcast Peacock
11:13 a.m.-4:13 p.m. Featured group 1 Peacock
11:24 a.m.-4:24 p.m. Featured group 2 Peacock
Noon-10 p.m. Featured holes (Nos. 6, 14, 15) Peacock
1-8 p.m. Main broadcast USA, Peacock, Fubo
4:43-9:43 p.m. Featured group 3 Peacock
4:54-9:54 p.m. Featured group 4 Peacock
8-11 p.m. Main broadcast NBC, Peacock, Fubo

U.S. Open tee times 2023

Here are the complete tee times for Friday's Round 2.

* Players will start on 10th tee

Tee time (ET) Grouping
9:45 a.m. Ross Fisher, Nico Echavarria, Paul Haley
9:45 a.m.* Brent Grant, Vincent Norrman, Charley Hoffman
9:56 a.m. Nick Dunlap, Nick Hardy, Sam Stevens
9:56 a.m.* Simon Forsstrom, Carlos Ortiz, Maxwell Moldovan
10:07 a.m. Taylor Pendrith, Aldrich Potgieter, Romain Langasque
10:07 a.m.* Eric Cole, Thriston Lawrence, Adam Schenk
10:18 a.m. Andrew Putnam, Victor Perez, Abraham Ancer
10:18 a.m.* Luke List, Wilco Nienaber, Alejandro Del Rey
10:29 a.m. Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Keegan Bradley
10:29 a.m.* Adrian Meronk, Harris English, Joaquin Niemann
10:40 a.m. Mito Pereira, Emiliano Grillo, Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira
10:40 a.m.* Alex Noren, Wyndham Clark, Austin Eckroat
10:51 a.m. Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young
10:51 a.m.* Kurt Kitayama, Cam Davis, Russell Henley
11:02 a.m. Sam Burns, Dustin Johnson, Keith Mitchell
11:02 a.m.* Cameron Smith, Sam Bennett, Matt Fitzpatrick
11:13 a.m. Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay
11:13 a.m.* Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, Brian Harman
11:24 a.m. Davis Thompson, Min Woo Lee, Justin Suh
11:24 a.m.* Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy
11:35 a.m. Taylor Moore, Mackenzie Hughes, Ben Carr
11:35 a.m.* Sebastian Munoz, Nick Taylor, Taylor Montgomery
11:46 a.m. Patrick Cover, David Nyfjall, Frankie Capan
11:46 a.m.* Taylor Montgomery, Olin Browne Jr., David Puig
11:57 a.m. Austen Truslow, Christian Cavaliere, Alex Schaake
11:57 a.m.* Corey Pereira, Isaac Simmons, JJ Grey
3:15 p.m. Barry Henson, Ryutaro Nagano, Hank Lebioda
3:15 p.m.* Omar Morales, Deon Germishyus, Jacob Solomon
3:26 p.m. Michael Kim, Jordan Smith, Wenyi Ding
3:26 p.m.* Ryan Gerard, Yuto Katsuragawa, Michael Brennan
3:37 p.m. Scott Stallings, Preston Summerhays, Lucas Herbert
3:37 p.m.* Hayden Buckley, Adam Svensson, Pablo Larrazabal
3:48 p.m. Jens Dantorp, Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Armour
3:48 p.m.* Carson Young, Dylan Wu, Roger Sloan
3:59 p.m. Thomas Pieters, Aaron Wise, Gordon Sargent
3:59 p.m.* Ryo Ishikawa, Kevin Streelman, Matthiu Pavon
4:10 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton
4:10 p.m.* Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
4:21 p.m. Tom Hoge, Sergio Garcia, Sepp Straka
4:21 pm.* Sungjae Im, KH Lee, JT Poston
4:32 p.m. Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day
4:32 p.m.* Gary Woodland, Adam Scott, Corey Conners
4:43 p.m. Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Si Woo Kim
4:43 p.m.* Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler
4:54 p.m. Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
4:54 p.m.* Denny McCarthy, Joel Dahmen, Adam Hadwin
5:05 p.m. Martin Kaymer, Stewart Cink, Michael Thorbjornsen
5:05 p.m.* Matthew McClean, Seamus Power, Ryan Fox
5:16 p.m. David Horsey, Brendan Valdes, Paul Barjon
5:16 p.m.* Mac Meissner, Barclay Brown, Gunn Caroenkul
5:27 p.m. Jordan Gumberg, Kyle Mueller, Bastien Amat
5:27 p.m.* Alexander Yang, Jesse Schutt, Andy Svoboda

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.