“It sucks.” Justin Thomas can be pithy when he needs to be. He shot 76 on both days to finish at 12-over. The second round was yet to finish officially, but the cut line is hovering around 7-over, so he knew he wasn’t gonna make it.

Thomas had not one but two terrible lipouts en route to a double on the par-5 12th. This stunned look on his face after finally putting it into the cup will tell you how lost he was. And he wasn’t alone.

Joining Thomas on the early trip to the Pittsburgh Airport are:

Nevertheless, a few found their way. Like Sam Burns, who shot 65 yesterday to lead by one after 36 holes. Only two players since the turn of the century have gone on to win this major from here. Angel Cabrera (2007) and Dustin Johnson (2016). Both won at Oakmont.

First-round leader JJ Spaun (66-72) is still clinging around the top with solo second. And now in the chase are Viktor Hovland, Adam Scott, and Ben Griffin.

Hovland’s game was as sharp as his chiselled jawline. He shot a 2-under to take up that solo third spot. As for Scott, in his 96th consecutive major, the Aussie has proved his resilience (70-70) for a T4 with Griffin (69-71), a U.S. Open rookie. Since Francis Ouimet in 1913, no one has ever won the U.S. Open on their debut. Knock on wood, huh, Griffin?

As far as the bigwigs are concerned, none are near the top. Rory barely made the cut. Xander too. Scottie has yet to break par at Oakmont. He shot a 71 yesterday and is tied at T23. Oakmont is a game of survival. There are no heroes here. Only some many battered and bruised humans.

You probably caught those bigger moments of Burns’ 65 and Mickelson’s MC live on the broadcast. But, you definitely missed these smaller moments from yesterday:

Gaffe: Oakmont gets into your head. Shane Lowry was penalized for a mistake that even our non-golfing friends wouldn’t commit—Watch him sadly laugh at his agonizing blunder here.

Ace: Victor Perez aced the par-3 sixth yesterday, the only second hole-in-one recorded at Oakmont during the U.S. Open. Notably, his celebration with his caddie was even better than his ace!

Baffled: Standing in ankle-deep rough, Bryson had no clue what he just shot. His legs outstretched, the club almost out of his hand. Before walking to the green, he looked back at the camera and mouthed something to the commentators. Can you read his lips?

Banter: Brooks hit a pure iron on the par-3 6th. But what was purer was his banter with playing mate, Justin Thomas. Watch how he taunted JT after the shot.

Enraged: If Rory’s equipment had a voice, you would definitely hear them scream. First, he flung his iron on the par-5 12th. On the 17th, he lost it. Again. This time, his tee marker and driver became the victims.

In other news, Thriston Lawrence (Thursday’s 2nd place holder) started Friday with 3 back-to-back birdies through the first 4 holes. He went on to sign a +4 for the day, thanks to 7 bogeys and a double on the holes that followed. Pretty much sums up Oakmont for you!

Yesterday, only seven players broke par. After Sam Burns, the best rounds came from Max Greyserman and Jason Day, both carding 3-under. But here is where it gets interesting, and no, it’s not about Jason Day’s Stars and Stripes shorts. Greyserman and Day are matching score-for-score for two rounds straight (76-67). Yesterday, both moved up 86 spots to settle for T12.

Greyserman made four birdies on the back nine. Whereas Day had more of a roller-coaster round. Two bogeys and two birdies on the front nine. Then he made another bogey after the turn. On the par-5 12th, where everyone’s hopes were crashing, Day carded an eagle—the first at the hole this year.

It’s going to be fun seeing how Max and Jason perform this weekend!

We get it. You didn’t have time to check the LPGA news this week. That’s what we’re here for! The Meijer LPGA Classic is currently underway at Belmont. And Lexi is back in contention. She shot 3-under to move within one shot of the lead. Thompson is a familiar face at Blythefield—she has won this tournament in 2015, and has a bunch of top tens.

The folks at Belmont love Lexi, too. Just watch her getting mobbed by fans here and you’ll see exactly how much. Thompson has been winless since 2019, and now, with her part-time schedule, it’s definitely harder to break that drought. The familiar field of the Meijer LPGA Classic is just the sliver of hope she needs, though!