With a remarkable mix of power and skill, Min Woo Lee has actually thrust himself into contention to finish among the fantastic household doubles in golf history.
Lee and fellow Australian Cameron Smith rose up the leaderboard to put themselves strongly in the mix after the 2nd round of the United States Open in Los Angeles.
Lee fired the most affordable round of the day, a five-under-par 65, to credit equivalent 6th with previous world No 1 Dustin Johnson and to within 4 shots of American midway leader Rickie Fowler.
Bidding to join his double major-winning sibling Minjee as a United States Open champ, Lee’s spectacular round consisted of a remarkable 407-yard drive on the 16th hole. That established the 24-year-old’s 5th birdie of the day.
The Perth prodigy wowed fans with his iron play, knocking a method at the last to within 4 feet for a 6th birdie to ice his fantastic round and climb to 6 under.
“Everything is working respectable,” Lee stated. “My technique play has actually been quite doing not have over the in 2015 – or my entire profession – so it’s rather good to in fact remain in the positives the last 2 days.
“Hitting it well, driving it well. Driving it a long method really, which is great on this course since it’s long.”
Smith is 2 shots even more back in straight-out 10th at 4 under after supporting his first-round 69 with a 67 on Friday. After teeing off on the 10th, Smith dropped a shot early on No 11 prior to gathering birdies on 12, 13 and 15 to get his competition back on track.
The world No 9 got 2 more shots on his inward 9 to be well-placed for a weekend obstacle.
“I simply have not had the ability to hole that 15- to 30-foot variety,” Smith stated. “I simply require those longer putts, a couple of to drop every round, and I’m right there.”
Lee and Smith got in the year’s 3rd significant after career-best outcomes at last month’s PGA Championship in New York and have actually brought the momentum to the Los Angeles Country Club.
“The turning of the corner most likely came a month or two prior to that,” Smith stated. “I’ve been playing excellent golf now for a number of months. Simply feels actually strong. It seems like I’m refraining from doing much incorrect.”
Minjee Lee is the ruling Women’s United States Open champ and will protect her title next month at Pebble Beach. Now her child sibling has the possibility to finish the first-ever brother or sister major-title double in golf.
Extremely, they might likewise clinch a golden double this weekend, with Minjee just 2 shots off the lead at the midway mark of the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.
Lee stated remaining client around LACC is crucial. “(I’m) simply not making a lot of errors. When I do strike it in the rough, I require to take my medication and simply struck it out,” he stated.
While Lee and Smith are ideal in the hunt, the other 5 Australians missed out on the two-over cut. Lucas Herbert (75) and Adam Scott (72) both slipped to 5 over. Jason Day (76) completed back at 9 over to miss out on a 3rd succeeding cut given that breaking his five-year winless dry spell at May’s AT&T Championship.
Amateur qualifier Karl Vilips (75) was likewise 9 over on his significant champion launching. And after enjoying his finest PGA Championship yet, sharing 4th to make a ticket to next year’s Masters, Cam Davis, at 11 over, likewise will not include at the weekend following a scary round of 79.