Tiger’s last US Open? Satanic circumstances

Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Seen & Heard” video series, where we give you an inside look at golf’s biggest events through the eyes and ears of our local team. On deck this week: the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Let’s go!

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We’ve reached the halfway mark in the US Open where some of the game’s best have moved up the leaderboard, while others have gone home early.

While all three were successful, the big drama on Friday morning revolved around the US Open’s “big team” of the world’s top three players, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.

All three got into trouble on the Par-5 5th during Round 2, the easiest hole. Scheffler and Schauffele tried to hit the miracle shot and failed, resulting in a double bogey. McIlroy, in the same position hit a low running shot and made nine feet for par. Our own James Colgan called this chip “a very exciting shot.”

“That back left on 5 is tricky,” said McIlroy, whose 72 left him at three under, two out of the lead. “If you missed it, leave it there, you obviously saw what Xander and Scottie did. After blocking two of their attempts, I was very happy with mine to get it across the green and get it up and down 5 times. “

Elsewhere, Josh Berhow was going after Tyrell Hatton, who on Thursday, went public with his comments about his attitude at the US Open.

After finishing the opening two rounds at one under, setting up a tie for ninth, Berhow asked Hatton about his decision why the comments were so widespread.

“I think everyone knows me well enough now to know what I’m like on the golf course, that I’m very honest,” Hatton said. “I’ll just say how it is.”

Deep in the “bowels of the Pinehurst clubhouse” Alan Bastable sought out the man who caused a stir on social media Thursday: Anthony Montanez. He is best known as the barber at the US Open this week and the guy who gave Scheffler his new cut before the 1st round.

“The funny thing about it is, everyone keeps calling it ‘high and tight,’ which as barbers makes us stand out because we’re only 3 on a side,” said Montanez. “It’s nowhere near ‘high and tight.’ The sharp back just makes it look that way.”

If there was any debate, Montanez felt happy about the cut.

“We brought it,” he said.

Back in the media center, Sean Zak asked Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a 69 on Friday to move into a four-under lead, how he felt about fans who seemed to want players to struggle at US Opens.

“I just saw when we were 10, Sepp Straka made a hole-in-one, right? Behind us,” said DeChambeau. “That was high, very high, and it was really cool to feed that energy. Then I see guys hitting it around the green out here, and it’s like, I don’t want to watch that.

“So for the fans it’s great. It’s very exciting. I don’t want to be on the wrong side of it, even though it’s going to happen a few times out here.”

But it’s Friday and it’s about who won’t be there for the weekend and that includes the biggest name in the game: Tiger Woods.

Woods started Round 2 strong, with a birdie on the 4th to move two shots inside the cut, but stumbled home to a 73 and missed the cut by two shots.

He then admitted that he wasn’t sure if this week was the last for the US Open.

“As for my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don’t know what that is,” said the 48-year-old three-time US Open winner. “It may or may not happen.”

But the 36-hole leader this week is Ludwig Aberg. Aberg looked anything but a player making his US Open debut this week, but he has played Pinehurst No. 2 previously, in the US Amateur. He called it the most challenging course he has ever played.

And it gets harder as Sean Zak points out, the course is completely baked because of the sunlight. Green speeds are running north of 13 on the stimpmeter already.

The weekend at the 2024 US Open is here

For more information on all of the LEGOLF team’s activities at Pinehurst, check out the full Sight & Heard playlist below — and stay tuned for more Sight & Heard throughout the week.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s first varsity golf class, Jessica knows how to outrun everyone on the golf course. He can pass them through the office, too, where he is primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s first Style Issue, which began in February 2018. His first interview series, “A Round With,” released in November 2015, and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.