Wyndham Clark fired a 36-hole record low at Shinnecock Hills to lead the 126th U.S. Open at -7 after Round 2. Four-time winners and major champions are clustered near the top, but the weekend picture is already tight—cut pressure is reshaping the field as play
When the U.S. Open resumed under the gusts at Shinnecock Hills on Friday. June 19. the leaderboard changed in a hurry—and the pressure landed on everyone at once. Wyndham Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion. stretched his advantage through two rounds and walked into Saturday knowing he was leading a major crowded with past winners.
Clark topped the leaderboard with a score of -7 after Round 2, while setting a 36-hole record for the lowest score in a U.S. Open played at Shinnecock Hills. He wasn’t dismissing the danger that comes with momentum in this kind of tournament. In fact, he said his best golf is still ahead.
His lead is substantial—four shots clear of the rest of the field as Round 2 moved toward its close—yet the chase remains intense. Four players are tied for second at -3 heading into Saturday’s third round: Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, Sam Stevens, Tom Kim, and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele.
The cut line, which fluctuated throughout Friday, ended up at +4. Seventy-two players notched +4 or better and will continue play on Saturday.
That margin wasn’t enough to save a long list of big names. Four recent U.S. Open champions missed the cut: Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018), John Rahm (2021), Bryson DeChambeau (2024), and J.J. Spaun (2025). Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler, and Patrick Reed were also sent home early.
Clark’s advantage came with a warning baked into the numbers: the course is punishing, and the scoring swings can be brutal. Even with a lead that size, Round 2 delivered enough chaos to show how quickly the weekend can slip away for anyone.
By 4:45 p.m. ET on Friday, the cut line sat at +3 based on the scores of the top 60 golfers (and ties) at that point. All golfers at +3 or better would make it to the weekend. The cut picture later tightened to +4 as the day settled.
At least one player proved he could climb out of early trouble. Scottie Scheffler finished the second round with an even score, tying him for eleventh place. He made the cut easily, even as it fluctuated during the day and ended at +4. Scheffler rebounded from a +2 first round to make his 17th straight cut for a major; it’s the second-longest active streak on the PGA. On the NBC broadcast. he said. “It was challenging… We had the wind again today and the greens were a bit softer… But overall. I think best thing I did today was to keep the card pretty clean and stayed pretty steady out there.”.
Not everyone had the same kind of recovery. Rory McIlroy stayed in contention after a difficult spell that included three straight bogeys in Round 2. while still mixing in three birdies. A double bogey on the 15th hole evened things out, and he finished hitting par three times. By the time he wrapped up for Friday, McIlroy made the cut that sat at +4.
His “positioning nicely” looked promising at one point, but the back nine brought him back toward neutral. McIlroy had a cluster of struggles starting on the back nine, dropping him back to even par for the tournament. His par putt on No. 12 “lipped out” before he knocked in a trickier-than-expected putt that cost another shot back of Clark.
Other marquee players faced steep consequences from a few holes gone wrong. Rahm ended his day at +6 after five bogeys and a double bogey over his final seven holes. Dustin Johnson began the day at Shinnecock Hills at 4-under and one shot back of Clark on the 11th hole. but then dropped eight shots over the next five holes. culminating with a quadruple bogey. A birdie at No. 16 late in his round helped, but it left him with a cut that would be close.
Bryson DeChambeau’s path was even more difficult to salvage: he finished Round 2 at 5-over par. with the day playing out after back-to-back double bogeys to start his second round. Morikawa’s story moved the other direction. Playing in his second event after a break for the birth of his first child. Collin Morikawa vaulted into contention by shooting a 5-under 65 on Friday. He entered the weekend at 2-under. five shots behind Clark. with a late bogey on 17 keeping him from being tied for second.
Friday also brought a rules-driven moment that followed Joaquin Niemann from the earlier drama. Niemann, the LIV Golf star, received a two-stroke penalty at the 2026 U.S. Open for a club throw on the sixth hole during the first round after the USGA determined the action was “a serious misconduct” under its rulebook. He was the first player penalized under the USGA’s new rule regarding on-course behavior implemented this year.
Even with that setback, Niemann still surged in Round 2. He produced the best round of the day so far, rolling seven birdies through 13 holes to land at 3-over for the tournament.
The leaderboard at the top is tight enough that one sudden swing can redraw the field. Clark, for instance, pushed his lead further with back-to-back birdies at No. 12 and No. 13, lifting his U.S. Open advantage to four shots over the rest of the field as he sat at 7-under with five holes to play in Round 2. Another birdie by Schauffele moved him to 3-under, giving him a share of second.
Behind them, competition kept finding new shapes. Harry Higgs—described as a 34-year-old journeyman from Camden, New Jersey—moved into a tie for second at 3-under after sinking a 75-foot putt from well off the green and up a steep slope at the par 3 No. 11. Higgs was 4-under for his round so far.
Max McGreevy climbed as well after finishing his front nine with birdies on No. 14 and No. 16, moving to 1-under for the day and 3-under for the tournament. He was in a four-way tie for second behind Clark.
Amid all the pro intensity, the day also featured amateurs and long shots. One of them. Cowan—a 21-year-old rising senior at Oklahoma who advanced through final qualifying—played his first major championship start. He was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma. including a second-team selection this season. and a Haskins finalist this season. described as the college golf version of the Heisman Trophy. His week matters beyond one round: he’s also on track to pursue a PGA Tour card via PGA Tour University.
Friday, June 19, Round 2 also came with heavy-weather expectations for Shinnecock Hills. AccuWeather posted its 10-day forecast for the New York course, emphasizing that thunderstorms are always possible during summertime. The immediate outlook called for stiff winds with clouds giving way to sun, with gusty winds continuing into the round.
Round 3, Saturday, June 20, was forecast to bring stiff winds with plenty of sunshine, again warning that gusts would keep posing problems.
Here is the Round 2 leaderboard snapshot as it finished on Friday, June 19:
1. Wyndham Clark: -7 (F)
T2. Xander Schauffele: -3 (F)
T2. Matt Fitzpatrick: -3 (F)
T2. Sam Stevens: -3 (F)
T2. Tom Kim: -3 (F)
6. Collin Morikawa: -2 (F)
T7. Justin Thomas: -1 (F)
T7. Harry Higgs: -1 (F)
T7. Sam Burns: -1 (F)
T7. Sahith Theegala: -1 (F)
T11. Maverick McNealy: E (F)
T11. William Mouw: E (F)
T11. Ryder Cohan (a): E (F)
T11. Ryo Hisatsune: E (F)
T11. Gary Woodland: E (F)
T11. Rory McIlroy: E (F)
T11. Scottie Scheffler: E (F).
The tournament will keep unfolding through the weekend with Clark carrying a lead built on record-setting scoring and nerve. The cut numbers show the reality of the U.S. Open: even when the top is clear, the tournament is never stable. One bad stretch can erase a day. One clean card can keep the door open.
U.S. Open 2026 Wyndham Clark Shinnecock Hills Round 2 leaderboard cut line Scottie Scheffler Rory McIlroy Xander Schauffele Matt Fitzpatrick Bryson DeChambeau Joaquin Niemann penalty