Who is the favorite? Is Scheffler still in contention? Looking ahead to the weekend at the U.S. Open

OAKMONT, Pa. -- We are done 2 days astatine Oakmont Country Club and lone 3 players successful the 156-man tract stay nether par: Sam Burns, JJ Spaun and Viktor Hovland.

How's that for a U.S. Open?

As the 3rd large title of the twelvemonth makes the crook to the weekend, here's what we learned successful Round 2 (which isn't rather implicit with 13 players needing to decorativeness their rounds Saturday morning) and what to expect during the last stretch.

How acold backmost bash you deliberation is inactive successful contention?

Mark Schlabach: History suggests Sunday's champion is going to beryllium 1 of the golfers presently successful the apical 5 connected the leaderboard, but I'm not definite that's needfully going to beryllium the lawsuit astatine Oakmont Country Club.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, 11 of the past 12 U.S. Open champions were successful the apical 5 aft 36 holes. The lone objection was Matt Fitzpatrick, who was tied for 13th aft the 2nd circular successful 2022 astatine The Country Club successful Brookline, Massachusetts.

Only 3 champions successful the 125-year past of the U.S. Open were extracurricular the apical 20 aft 36 holes: Lou Graham successful 1975 (tied for 27th), Larry Nelson successful 1983 (tied for 25th) and Webb Simpson successful 2012 (tied for 29th).

As hard arsenic Oakmont is playing, determination person been immoderate stellar rounds, arsenic evidenced by J.J. Spaun's 4-under 66 connected Thursday and Sam Burns' 65 connected Friday.

Someone who is 4 oregon 5 shots back, oregon possibly adjacent more, could enactment unneurotic 2 coagulated rounds. When U.S. Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley was asked if a 5-under 65 was imaginable connected the weekend, helium said, "If it rains maybe."

The skies had already opened up earlier 14 golfers finished their 2nd rounds connected Friday night.

Paolo Uggetti: It wouldn't daze maine if idiosyncratic astatine 5-over, adjacent 6-over, made a spot of a tally connected Saturday, particularly if the starring people remains astir adjacent par, but the existent reply is 4-over due to the fact that that's wherever Scottie Scheffler is.

Scheffler battled connected Friday contempt showing plentifulness of vexation arsenic helium was incapable to summation immoderate crushed connected the apical of the board. A 71 wasn't precisely what helium had successful caput and yet he's inactive not retired of it conscionable 7 shots backmost of Sam Burns astatine 3-under. Oakmont is simply a shot striker's people and nary 1 is amended astatine that than Scheffler.

"At the U.S. Open I don't deliberation you're ever retired of the tournament," Scheffler said. "Put unneurotic 2 decent days, I whitethorn beryllium successful 25th oregon 30th spot oregon thing similar that aft today, and similar I said, by nary means is that retired of the tournament."

The No. 1 subordinate successful the satellite beelined it to the driving scope aft finishing his circular and appeared frustrated with thing arsenic helium worked with his longtime plaything manager Randy Smith. If there's immoderate skepticism astir Scheffler is that helium seems to beryllium warring thing successful his swing. But overmuch similar astatine the PGA Championship, wherever a league with Smith unlocked him, I could spot him figuring it retired quickly. That spells occupation for the remainder of the field.

What is the forecast for the play and what interaction could the upwind have?

Uggetti: As the 2nd circular was adjacent to wrapping up connected Friday nighttime successful Pittsburgh, the skies dropped a torrential downpour connected the play people that lasted implicit an hr and is bound to alteration however Oakmont plays time and beyond.

There is acceptable to beryllium much rainfall overnight and thunderstorms into tomorrow. Currently, the forecast calls for a 90 percent accidental of rainfall Saturday and 70 percent Sunday. With nary existent upwind to talk of -- astatine slightest not to the constituent of affecting shots excessively overmuch -- it appears those who made the chopped volition apt get a softer Oakmont this weekend.

But if you're inactive looking for precocious scores and fewer players implicit par, don't fret. The unsmooth volition beryllium adjacent healthier and tougher to get retired of and the USGA should beryllium successful presumption to play astir with adjacent much pins and greenish speeds that could inactive support this tourney pugnacious contempt the bedewed conditions.

"I'll play successful thing unless it's lightning beauteous overmuch oregon tornados," Ben Griffin, who sits astatine adjacent par, said. "It's conscionable much of an annoyance than anything. But from a plaything standpoint, I don't caput playing successful the rain, and evidently it softens conditions astir weeks. It'll astir apt marque it possibly somewhat easier oregon possibly we'll person to commencement reasoning astir rotation power a small spot with the wedges if it truly rains. What's the projection? What does the rainfall look similar tomorrow? Steady each day? Bring it on. I don't truly care. I'm down for whatever."

Who bash you deliberation is the favourite now?

Schlabach: I deliberation determination mightiness beryllium 10 to 15 golfers who could triumph astatine this point. Sam Burns had struggled mightily successful majors until tying for ninth astatine past year's U.S. Open, which was astonishing for a feline who has won 5 times connected the PGA Tour.

Maybe this week is his time. He's 1 of the champion putters successful the satellite and needed lone 55 putts successful the archetypal 2 rounds. His robust play this week has been stellar (he's gaining much than 2 strokes connected approach) and his abbreviated crippled has helped tremendously, excessively (he's gaining astir 2 strokes successful abbreviated game).

Burns already has carded 11 birdies successful 2 rounds, which was however galore Dustin Johnson had portion winning the 2016 U.S. Open astatine Oakmont.

"I deliberation astatine times, [I was] trying to beryllium a small excessively cleanable astir large title play courses, and I deliberation particularly astir here, honestly it benignant of forces you to instrumentality your medicine due to the fact that a batch of times that's the lone enactment you have," Burns said. "I deliberation for this play course, you truly conscionable person to escaped it up. It's excessively hard to effort to usher it astir here. You're going to deed immoderate successful the rough, you're going to deed immoderate successful immoderate atrocious spots, you mightiness arsenic good bash it with authority. Yeah, it's going to beryllium a amusive weekend."

It's the eighth clip Burns has held astatine slightest a stock of the 36-hole pb successful a PGA Tour event. He won erstwhile successful the erstwhile seven, astatine the 2021 Valspar Championship.

Uggetti: Seven of the 9 players who person won a U.S. Open present astatine Oakmont were first-time winners and I support looking astatine Viktor Hovland, 1 of lone 3 players nether par, arsenic a cleanable campaigner to proceed that trend.

Hovland has had 2 precise antithetic statistical rounds. On Thursday, helium gained implicit 4 strokes connected the tract with his attack play but mislaid implicit 3 with his putter. On Friday, helium mislaid astir fractional a changeable connected the tract with his attack play and gained astir 2 shots with his putter. As vexing arsenic that is, I deliberation wherever helium stands for the tourney makes sense: top-15 successful strokes gained disconnected the tee, attack play and abbreviated crippled portion 111th successful strokes gained: putting.

This makes his task beauteous simple: if his putter improves, helium volition stay successful the mix. He's excessively bully of a ball-striker to not beryllium there. Plus, portion assorted players appeared breached by however hard the people played Friday, Hovland remained rather calm.

When asked astatine what constituent during his circular contiguous helium was adjacent to losing his mind, Hovland shrugged.

"I didn't truly travel close," Hovland said. "I kept it unneurotic beauteous nicely."

Come the play astatine Oakmont, that successful itself could beryllium a immense asset.

Sleeper to contend implicit the weekend?

Schlabach: Is it just to telephone a erstwhile satellite No. 1 and Masters champion a sleeper? If so, Adam Scott mightiness beryllium the prime aft helium posted his 2nd consecutive circular of even-par 70 to determination into a necktie for fourth.

As the 44-year-old Scott said aft Friday's round, he's trying to play "old-man-par golf." He's the fifth-oldest subordinate to beryllium successful the apical 5 aft 36 holes successful the U.S. Open successful the past 20 years, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

"It's conscionable hard retired there," Scott said. "It's hard to support it going erstwhile guys person got connected a run. It seems similar they've travel backmost a bit."

Scott hasn't done thing spectacular implicit the archetypal 2 rounds, but helium has avoided large numbers and covered up bogeys with birdies. He had 5 bogeys and 5 birdies successful the archetypal round, and past 3 of each successful the second.

The Australian is averaging 313 yards disconnected the tee and has deed 17 of 28 fairways. He's gaining astir 2 strokes disconnected the tee connected the field. He's besides gaining much than 2 strokes connected approach, hitting 27 of 36 greens successful regulation, which ranked 2nd successful the field.

"I've been successful the fairway disconnected the tee, and truthful determination hasn't been excessively overmuch accent successful the rounds," Scott said. "I deliberation I've played good disconnected the tee, and the remainder of the crippled has been good from there."

Scott didn't person a top-10 successful 11 PGA Tour starts this season. The 2013 Masters champion missed the chopped astatine Augusta National, but got successful the premix astatine Quail Hollow and tied for 19th.

It seemed that his champion play was successful the rear-view mirror, oregon astatine slightest that's what I wrote earlier this week. Boy, I was wrong.

When Scott was asked to picture his model to triumph a large connected Friday, helium answered, "Ajar."

Uggetti: There's a subordinate connected this committee who thrives and relishes setups similar these and it's Brooks Koepka and he's conscionable 5 shots backmost with lone 8 guys successful beforehand of him.

Koepka astir looked to drawback power of this tourney Friday greeting erstwhile helium changeable 35 connected the backmost and adjacent got to 3-under astatine 1 point. The beforehand was acold little perfect arsenic helium made 4 bogeys to enactment a damper connected a coagulated showing. But this is the U.S. Open, which Koepka has already won doubly before. Nobody gets up for these kinds of tests amended than Koepka.

As helium explained Thursday, his caller enactment with his manager Pete Cowen has helped him get his atrocious habits retired and his plaything backmost connected way aft missing the archetypal 2 cuts astatine the majors this year.

"It's started to consciousness good. It's starting to click," Koepka said. "I'm starting to spot the shot formation germinate wherever it's a bully small slice and I don't person the two-way miss going. Very accordant now."

Much similar Hovland, Koepka has struggled astir the greens, losing shots with some his abbreviated crippled and his putting. If that improves, adjacent slightly, helium volition beryllium a origin this weekend.

Biggest disappointments?

Schlabach: Where bash you start? There were truthful galore high-profile golfers who missed the cut: Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith and Ludvig Åberg were 8 over; Tommy Fleetwood was 9 over; Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau were 10 over; Sepp Straka was 11 over; Justin Thomas was 12 over; Justin Rose was 14 over; and Shane Lowry was 17 over.

It has to beryllium DeChambeau, right? He was the defending U.S. Open and was successful contention successful the last circular astatine past month's PGA Championship astatine Quail Hollow Club. He couldn't tackle Oakmont, however, arsenic helium carded a 7-over 77 connected Friday.

DeChambeau's second-round scorecard included 8 bogeys, 1 double-bogey and 3 birdies. He's usually 1 of the champion putters successful the field, but helium mislaid astir 1 ½ strokes connected the greens and needed 61 putts successful 36 holes. He ne'er seemed to get a grasp of the lightning-fast speed. He wasn't close disconnected the tee (13 of 28 fairways) and his caller irons didn't clasp up great, arsenic helium deed 20 of 36 greens successful regulation.