ERIN, Wis. – News and notes from Friday’s second round of the U.S. Open. CASEY GETS HOT AFTER SNOWMAN Five holes into his round, Paul Casey had just suffered a triple bogey at the par-5 14th. His round, perhaps his entire tournament, was now hanging in the balance. Could he bounce back or would he unravel? His caddie, John McLaren, was unusually quiet. “You all right?â€� Casey asked. Replied McLaren: “Oh, fine. I’m good. Are you all right?â€� Replied Casey: “Yeah.â€� Actually, Casey was more than all right. Although he followed the triple with a bogey on the next hole, Casey was determined not to let one bad hole define his round. He birdied the 17th and 18th holes going into the turn, then kept the hot streak going with three more birdies to start his second nine. The five consecutive birdies – one short of the U.S. Open record — allowed him to salvage a 1-under 71 that leaves him at 7 under entering the weekend as he chases the first major of his career. “Not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an 8 on the card,â€� Casey said, “but I’m a pretty happy man.â€� Casey credited his experience – he turned pro in 2000 – with helping to prevent the wheels from coming off. He didn’t panic. He didn’t rush to make up the shots. And he didn’t dwell on his one bad swing. “I was upset with the score I had made,â€� Casey said, “but it had, in no way, any effect on my attitude or how I was going to then approach the rest of the round or the next shot.â€� That kind of approach should serve him well this weekend. AMATEUR SHOWDOWN: AGGIE VS. LONGHORN Two amateurs have made the cut. One is from the University of Texas (Scottie Scheffler). The other is from Texas A&M (Cameron Champ). Usually, that’s a Hatfields-and-McCoys type of relationship. But not this week at Erin Hills, even though both players will battle for low amateur honors this weekend. “Me and Scottie are really good friends,â€� Champ said. “So it will be kind of fun.â€� The two have known each other since playing together in a junior amateur event in Japan several years ago. “That’s when we became pretty close,â€� Scheffler said. Champ has the advantage going into the third round. He’s 5 under after his 69 on Friday, while Scheffler is at 1 under following a 74. On Erin Hills’ lengthy layout, Champ has been relying on his prodigious length off the tee. He leads the field in driving distance with a 339.3-yard average (two holes are used to measure distance this week). Champ blasted a 355.1-yard drive on the 17th hole Thursday and a 341.4 yarder on Friday. “In college, I normally am the longest,â€� Champ said. “Yeah, I guess I’ve just kind of always been that way. I don’t talk about it much. You’ve still got to make a score. Here if you can hit it long and straight, it’s a great advantage. “I took advantage of it the last few days.â€� Though Scheffler has some ground to make up, he’s not going to spend the final two rounds worrying about how Champ is playing. “Top amateur would be nice, but I’m more focused on how I finish with the entire field,â€� Scheffler said. “It would certainly be very special to be the low am, but I think that will just come with how I play. I’m not really going to focus on that this weekend.â€� MORE LIKE A U.S. OPEN COURSE After a U.S. Open-record 44 rounds under par on Thursday, players expected a more difficult set-up for Erin Hills on Friday. That’s what they got — faster and firmer greens with trickier pin placements. “Definitely a lot more like a U.S. Open today than yesterday,â€� said Marc Leishman, who shot an even-par 72 after his 68 in the first round. “Guess that didn’t like Rickie shooting 7-under yesterday, so they’ll keep reeling it back closer to par,â€� added Harris English, who is also at 4 under after shooting a 68 on Friday. “We knew it was coming today,â€� said William McGirt, who shot a 71 to move to 3 under. “That was no secret.â€� Wind is one of Erin Hills’ primary defenses, but thus far it has not made a major impact on scoring. If the USGA wants to toughen up the course, it will need to rely on other measures. But please, said McGirt — don’t go overboard. “I think the greens are going to get faster and the hole locations aren’t going to get easier,â€� McGirt said. “I think [Thursday] was about as easy as you’re ever going to have it at a U.S. Open. I just hope with the wind direction, they use their head in setting up the tees.â€� BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA Erin Hills looking like a good venue so far, plenty of good scores & plenty of bad ones – always a good sign in my book #usopen— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) June 16, 2017 Father’s Day weekend goals ðŸ�Œï¸�👀☺ï¸� pic.twitter.com/fVfAwa4Ha7— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 16, 2017 Just … perfect. 👌https://t.co/zVykOCPblH— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 16, 2017 Cut looks like it’s gonna be at least 2 shots lower at the US Open than it was at Colonial… 😳— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) June 16, 2017
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