BROOKLINE, Mass. (Reuters) – Jon Rahm’s U.S. Open title defence was in strong shape on Friday as the Spaniard headed into the weekend one stroke off the lead in Brookline with plans to stick to his strategy and ignore the leaderboard.
He produced three birdies, two bogeys and an eagle on the par-5 14 at the Country Club for a three-under 67, and is tied for third with Rory McIlroy (69) and Americans Hayden Buckley (68), Beau Hossler (67) and Aaron Wise (68).
The United States’ Collin Morikawa (66) and Joel Dahmen finished the day at the top of the standings, five under par through 36 holes.
“The leaderboard will have very little to do with (my decision-making),” Rahm said after the second round.
“Maybe Sunday 17 you’re two back and you need birdie-birdie, well, you might hit driver on 17. Even then it still depends on pin location, wind, and how one is feeling. I can’t really tell you.
“I don’t foresee my strategy or what I’ve done so far to change much, honestly, unless the wind changes completely, which it might.”
The world number two delivered the ball to the green with a 316-yard drive for a birdie on the par-four five and drained an 11-1/2-foot putt for the eagle on 14.
Rahm said the course’s robust rough “puts a premium on all aspects of the game” – not that he’s complaining.
“The more I play it, the more I like it,” he told reporters.
“It’s such a unique design to where you have options off the tee, and you can really pretty much choose whatever you want, and that’s why you have on the leaderboard so many players that hit it kind of a bit of a difference in length off the tee.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
