Here's a reminder of where the flag's are placed today - and why some big numbers have been scored on holes with pins tucked away right on the edge of these greens...

Image source, USGA

A wry smile from Collin Morikawa as he watches his birdie attempt hang right of the hole. He clearly feels that got away - but he's not too mad about it.

No emotion from Brooks Koepka as he tidies away for par. No change for these guys.

After a screamer of a birdie putt on the second, the par-four third almost ends in a similar way for co-leader Ludvig Aberg.

From a little over 25 feet, Aberg hardly hits the ball. The pace is perfect, but the line is slightly off, fractionally drifting past the hole before returning to tap in for par.

Tony Finau's birdie chance is from similar distance, but the same result, a par.

From 11 feet, Dustin Johnson has the easier of the three birdie chances, but does not take it.

Pars all round.

Thomas Detry can't sink a 20-foot putt for birdie on the ninth as his round concludes with a three-under 67.

While he may have lost the outright lead, not many in the field will go better than that today.

Lovely golf shot from Tiger Woods, who is giving the huge number of fans plenty to enthuse about early on. The American punches his approach into the fourth green from 230 yards and will have a birdie putt from around 16 feet.

He's judged this well...it's going to drop, wow in it goes. What a three for Tiger. Talk about rolling back the years.

Matt Fitzpatrick hasn't got the same control with his second and sees his ball scamper another 25 feet on.

His birdie putt down the slope comes up short but he squeezes in the par saver.

That's a fine approach from Collin Morikawa at the 12th (his third) and he sets up 14 feet for birdie.

Brooks Koepka follows him onto the green, albeit 25 feet does look more unlikely.

Patrick Cantlay has hit all three fairways and greens so far, and left himself 23, 22 and 11 feet birdies putts, but has missed them all.

Still, he's strolling along stress free so far and he's getting closer...

The last I saw of Thomas Detry he was striding confidently down the eighth hole after finding the fairway.

His second holds on the front of the green but he's looked a little jittery with his putter that last few holes and ends up taking three from 44 feet to slip back among the chasers.

Ludvig Aberg has looked really accomplished so far on his US Open debut at Pinehurst No.2.

From 30 feet, he holes out a sublime birdie putt on the par-four second to move to five-under-par and level for the lead alongside Patrick Cantlay.

2016 US Open champion Dustin Johnson is unable to finish off his par-save from 15 feet, settling for a bogey.

Tony Finau taps home for par, having gone past the hole with his birdie attempt.

Pars for this trio at the 11th.

No hot start for Brooks Koepka or Collin Morikawa, but they are at least holding firm at level par.

Rory McIlroy said you need to play boring golf to win around Pinehurst, and Patrick Cantlay can certainly do that - but if hitting the green and almost holing 20-footers is boring, it's certainly effective.

If we've learned anything so far it's that you have to take as much stress out of your putting as you can, so if Cantlay keeps having 20-foot birdie looks and leaving just nine inches for par he'll be just fine.

Tiger Woods and Matt Fitzpatrick both come a cropper with birdie putts on the third, with the Englishman particularly careless as he shunts a 28-foot putt a good eight feet past.

It costs the Englishman a stroke, although Woods, whose effort hadn't drifted out quite as far solidly saves his par.

Sergio Garcia almost collects an eagle on the 10th from the apron, seeing his ball just trickle past.

But he taps in for an opening birdie and jumps up into a tie for seventh, three shots adrift of the lead.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottie Scheffler on his chances of making the cut: "I don't think five-over is going to get me into the weekend. But I'm proud of how I fought today.

"I gave myself a good chance. Really yesterday I felt like I did a great job. Today I just couldn't get the putts to fall.

"This golf course can be unpredictable at times, and maybe it got the better of me the last couple days. I'll sit down and think about where we're going the last few days and figure it out."

Thomas Detry leaves a 52-foot birdie putt a shade over 10 feet short on the seventh green but drains the par saver to keep his place atop of the leaderboard alongside Patrick Cantlay.

The par-five 10th does offer scope for opening birdies but Collin Morikawa leaves himself nine-and-a-half feet but cannot convert and settles for par.

It's a similar story for Brooks Koepka who is ragged with a birdie attempt of his own and sees it slides by.

Good recovery from Justin Thomas who also makes par.

On the green of the par-four first, Ludvig Aberg, Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson all have birdie putts, having all found the green and fairway in regulation.

Johnson's from 33 feet and Finau's a bit closer in are good and while the putts are slow, they are very well calculated, but neither drop.

Aberg's birdie chance also would have moved him into a three-way lead on five-under. He leaves it short, but the trio all take par.

This feels like a big putt. Tiger Woods chips on but his balls spins back to leave an awkward 12 footer for par.

But that never looked liked missing and drops into the cup, dead centre to a huge roar. Imagine the decibels if he was three or four strokes better off.

While Woods had to work both Matt Fitzpatrick take two putts for comfortable fours.

Bryson DeChambeau after carding a one-under-par second round of 69 to move to four-under-par for the tournament: "All in all, was very happy with how I stayed patient, gave myself good opportunities when they mattered, and I made a lot of clutch putts coming in.

"Even though it was a morning round, it actually started to get pretty firm already, which is a sign that they want this golf course rolling by tomorrow and Sunday.

"I'm excited for the test and challenge, and I think it's going to continue to evolve, especially with the conditions being as hot as they are, and if the wind picks up, it's going to be diabolical.

"I'm excited for the game that I have right now. I feel pretty confident and ready to get after it this weekend."

A solid enough start for joint leader Patrick Canltay with a par at the first - where Russell Henley finds an opening birdie to dip under par for the tournament.

Henley won low amateur honours at the 2010 US Open and held a share of the lead going into the final round of the 2021 US Open but shot 76 to fall away as Jon Rahm won the title at Torrey Pines.