June 17, 2016: On a day of mayhem at the US Open, Anirban Lahiri and Jeev Milkha Singh played 36 holes each on Friday. Despite the storms that consumed the course on Thursday, the greens at Oakmont remained brutally fast, leaving the two Indian golfers well below the cut line.
Anirban and Jeev battled bravely but at 11 and 15 over respectively, both golfers are set to miss the cut. Andrew Landry completed his first round 66, the lowest score to open the US Open at Oakmont. But Dustin Johnson is the man in the driving seat, after he completed his second round on Friday tied in the lead.
Oakmont is as much a test of character as it is of skill and the two Indians gave a good account of themselves on that count. Playing the course once is already gruelling, playing it twice on a day is like dancing with the brutal beast just after hiking up a difficult trail.
Jeev was struggling for accuracy off the tee and it cost him dearly this week. He made just 10 of 28 fairways and just 15 of 36 greens in regulation as he battled the course.
Anirban looked good after posting three over 73 in the first round. A double bogey at the second and three other bogeys set him back, but he ended the round with a birdie at the 18th hole.
The second round though was a difficult task, perhaps the weariness taking a toll on Anirban physically and mentally. He made a couple of double bogeys and five bogeys against just a solitary birdie that came at the par-4 third hole.
Anirban saw his driving accuracy dip from 57% in the first round, down to 36% in the second. It was a tribute to his resilience that he fought hard, making 10 of 18 greens in regulation, despite facing some tough lays in the later part of the day.
Johnson added a 69 to his first round 67 in a mightily impressive performance on a course that is nothing less than a beast.
