Adam Scott in contention at the US Open, Cameron Smith hits major career low
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Adam Scott is among the contenders at the half way mark but it was Jason Day who got the better of Oakmont in the second round as Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee missed the cut at the US Open.
Scott sits in fourth place at even par overall, three shots behind leader Sam Burns after a second successive round of 70.
The 2013 Masters champion will be joined on the weekend by Day (+3), who shot the equal second best round of the day with a three-under par 67 to move into a share of 12th, Marc Leishman (+6) and Cam Davis (+7).
Adam Scott is in contention at the US Open. Picture: Warren Little / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
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As his scorecards suggest, Scott has been one of the most consistent golfers across the opening 36 holes on a brutal layout that contributes to wild fluctuations in scoring for most of the field.
'I guess I would have expected to be in this position if you said even par through two rounds,' Scott said.
'It's just hard out there. It's hard to keep it going when guys have got on a run. It seems like they've come back a bit.
'I'm playing old-man-par golf at the moment.'
The 44-year-old made three birdies for the day, including one to kick-off his round at the first hole – where he stuck his second shot from 212 yards out on the long par 4 to a little more than six feet from the hole.
He drained a near 22-footer for birdie at the par 4 tenth, and stuck a wedge to roughly six feet at the short par 4 14th to set up another birdie.
Scott was once again impressive off the tee and with his irons, hitting nine of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation.
His iron play had been letting him down of late, he even said it was the worst part of his game, but rediscovering his groove has him buoyant about his chances of claiming a second major title.
Scott, who is playing in his 96th successive major, was asked if that feat goes underappreciated, and said that 'maybe it does'.
'But I'd be pretty proud of winning this thing on the weekend,' he added.
'Right now, that's really what I'm here to do, and I feel like there's probably not been many signs to anyone else but me the last month or six weeks that my game is looking better.
'But I definitely feel more confident than I have been this year. I feel like this is what I've been working towards.
Adam Scott during the second round of the 125th U.S. Open. Picture:'I was kind of in the mix late at the PGA, and now kind of putting myself in this one for the weekend. It's a long way to go, but I feel like my game is in good enough shape to do this.'
Scott was then asked how energised he was to be in this position at his age, to which he said, 'I have a put together a nice career, but I think another major more would really go a long way in fulfilling my own self, when it's all said and done.'
'HOW I USED TO DO IT': DAY'S OLD SCHOOL MOVE
Only Burns' second round 65 and overnight leader J.J. Spaun's opening round 66 bettered Jason Day's 67.
The former world No. 1 fired four birdies and an eagle as he was back to his best after dealing with troublesome wrist and neck injuries in recent times.
The eagle came at the par 5 12th, his third hole of the day, as Day drained a 20-foot putt after launching a 3-wood from more than 300 yards out onto the green.
Two holes later, he stuck a wedge to tap-in range for birdie at the 14th and chipped to inside five feet to set up another birdie at another short par 4, the 17th.
Back-to-back birdies courtesy of a pearler of a tee shot at the par 3 sixth and holing a near 25-footer at the par 4 seventh then wrestled back momentum in the late stages of his round.
The 2015 PGA champion was pleased with his work on the greens as he needed only 27 putts for the round with help from his stellar short game.
'Putted a lot better today. Obviously I hit it nice on the front side, which was the back side,' Day said.
'I got into a little bit of trouble kind of midway round. Just didn't, just started missing a few greens.
'Then kind of settled it a little bit with a birdie on 6 and 7 for me. So that was, it was a big day to come back and shoot 3-under to make the cut.'
Jason Day looks on from the 18th green at the U.S. Open. Picture:Day's change in fortunes with the flat stick came after some old school improvisation after the feel and look was off.
'I bent my putter. Yeah, no, I just manually bent it myself. Stood on it,' he said.
'That's kind of how I used to do it back in the day.
'It just hadn't been looking very good to me personally, kind of looks a little bit hooded, the grip's on a little bit closed too, so that's not a positive for me.
'But I bent it enough to make it look more open, which is good.'
Jason Day lines up a putt on the second green at Oakmont. Picture: Gregory Shamus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
As for his chances across the weekend, Day is confident he can continue to make up ground after a disappointing opening round of 76.
'I feel like you're going to make bogeys out here and try and get the birdies when you can,' he said.
'3-over right now, if I can just keep climbing the leaderboard, get into contention on Sunday that would be great.'
In his first major since 2022, Marc Leishman advanced to the weekend despite shooting the worst round of the day among his countrymen with a 75.
Marc Leishman collapsed in the second round but still made the weekend. Picture: Getty Images via AFP
Leishman's first round 71 had him well-placed but then he held his nerve to make the cut across the back nine after reaching the turn in 40.
Meanwhile, Cam Davis made the cut on the number with a second round 73.
Davis bogeyed his second last hole to put himself under the pump, but calmly two-putted for par at the par 4 ninth, his final hole, to advance.
Cam Davis also advanced to the weekend. Picture: Getty Images via AFP
'A LITTLE TOO LATE': SMITH'S WORST RUN CONTINUES
Cameron Smith will not play the weekend for the fourth straight major championship.
The 2022 Open champion is officially in the worst stretch of his career in the majors after missing the cut by two shots at +8.
Smith signed off on a second round 73 that included a back nine fight back in a last-ditch attempt to salvage his tournament.
The LIV star made birdies at 11, 14, 15 and 17, but a front nine of 41, which included a three-putt triple bogey at the first, and bogeys at the 16th proved too costly.
Cameron Smith did not make the cut. Picture: Getty Images via AFP
Smith hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation in the second round, but his much-lauded putting deserted him around the 36 holes, taking 63 putts which ranked him 138th out of a field of 156.
'We've all known about his driver struggles but it's that club in the bag that has kind of left him,' former Australian professional James Nitties said on commentary.
'We all know how good of a putter he is and he's doing it now (on the back nine), but it's a little too late.'
Min Woo Lee also did not make the weekend. Picture: Getty Images via AFP
Min Woo Lee also finished one shot worse at +9, but was much improved in his second round with a 72.
The 26-year-old simply made life too difficult for himself after a first round 77 and missed the cut for the second straight major.
Originally published as Adam Scott in contention at the US Open, Cameron Smith officially hits major career low
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