It was a miserable day for two-time major winner Justin Thomas yesterday and round two has not started much better.

A thundered tee shot into the wild grasses, followed by a chunk into a fairway bunker.

At seven under already, I guess he's got nothing to lose.

What to do here? Tiger Woods booms his tee shot on the second well right into the wiregrass.That was ugly.

Can he find the green from here? Nope he's short but on the fairway about 50 yards from the pin.

England's Sam Bairstow shot a 14- over 84 in the first round on Thursday but responded in style with a three-under 67 today, which restores a little bit of respect and confidence even if he won't be around for the weekend.

He is the first player in US Open history to shoot 84 or higher in the first round and then break 70 in the second round.

In case you were wondering, over 1500 players have shot 84 or higher in the first round, including 431 players since the second World War.

Well he wasn't there solo for long. Thomas Detry cedes his position as outright leader as he pays the price for a wayward approach from the tee into the left greenside bunker of the par-three sixth hole.

He splashes out to 12 feet but can't finish off the job to save par.

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Ludvig Aberg (-4) and Tony Finau (-2) remain in good contention with many of those near the top that started earlier today already finishing their second rounds and the clubhouse lead remains at five-under-par.

Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are among those to have already played to show that nothing major is needed, just steady golf and a respectable score can build on a great first round. Aberg and Finau will need a similar mind-set.

For Dustin Johnson (+4), an even-par-round should all but confirm that he makes the weekend.

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Rory McIlroy on conditions at Pinehurst No.2 today: "I feel like the golf course plays a little more difficult, even though we were off in the morning.

"Some of the hole locations were definitely a little tougher. Sort of had to have your wits about you. I putted it off one green there on 17."

And on his game in the second round: "Overall I felt like I did a pretty good job at keeping some of the mistakes off the scorecard. I wish I had converted a couple more of the chances.

"Hit the ball pretty well. I think only missed one fairway. So I had plenty of opportunities.

"Wasn't quite as good with the putter today. Still overall in a great position going into the weekend."

Tiger Woods opts to get his wedge out and scoots a chip that briefly threatens to drop before wandering four feet past, that won't be a problem for the 15-time major champion mind.

Will Zalatoris elects to use his broomstick-style putter but pushes his effort miles right and to his horror there's no turn at all. He then comes up short with his par putt and will open with a bogey.

Matt Fitzpatrick, who found the middle of the dance floor, rolls down from 20 feet to gimme range and tidies up.

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In many way, it's been a great first half to round two for Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa.

At level par, they remain just six off the lead and, with major victories in their back catalogue, they know how to perform on the biggest stage.

They'll want to get off to a hot start though.

The weather is warm, the walk is relatively easy so can Tiger Woods plot his way round this course and post a score that'll see him stick around for the weekend?

All three players find the first fairway with a long iron but Woods and Will Zalatoris both miss the green right with their approaches, Woods' effort skipping on before rolling down the slope. He needed to be another 10-15 feet or so left there.

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Scottie Scheffler has played 39 event without missing the cut - with the last time he didn't make the weekend coming 672 days ago back in August 2022 at the FedEx St Jude Championship.

But he's up against it here at five over following a four-over round of 74 in his second round.

Three over is currently the cut line but conditions are expected to be tougher this afternoon than this morning, so will the world number one be sticking about for the weekend?

Thomas Detry is absolutely flying here. No player from Belgium has ever led at the end of a US Open round but could that be set to change today.

The 31-year-old can't knock in a long eagle putt from 28 feet on the 15th but he leaves a tiddler for birdie which he duly dispatches to head to the top of the leaderboard.

A lot to unravel on that final hole.

Bryson DeChambeau finishes with a birdie to go one-under-par for the day and four-over for the tournament, just a shot off leaders Patrick Cantlay and Thomas Dentry.

Viktor Hovland also makes birdie, his sixth of the second round. A two-under-par round at Pinehurst No.2 is excellent, but with six birdies, it could have been even better and he is probably a shot or two too high to make the weekend.

Max Homa pars the last in what is a five-over-par round. Like Hovland, it is unlikely that he will make the final two rounds.

On the par-four 18th, Viktor Hovland's hopes of making the cut are hanging by a thread.

He has given himself every chance of getting back to six-over-par, with his 136-yard approach shot ending five feet from the pin.

But what Hovland can do, Bryson DeChambeau can do even better.

From 120 yards out, his approach finishes inches away.

Both have excellent birdie chances.

A chance for Tyrrell Hatton to finish with a flourish on the 18th but he just doesn’t hit his putt from around 20 feet and it comes up short before he taps in for par. It's been a battling round for the 32-year-old, who but for those three bogeys in four holes on the 11th, 13th and 14th, could be sitting pretty.

The 13th in particular was just so unlucky.

Tommy Fleetwood can't knock in the birdie he so desperately needed and been chasing since the fifth hole. He signs for a 75 which is probably not going to be enough to make the weekend.

Rory McIlroy blasts it out of the sand bit leaves it 15 feet short and he can't make the par save so closes with a bogey, which is one of those that will really make his teeth itch.

Scottie Scheffler plays his bunker shot much better and he completes the sand save to stay at five over and we'll have to see if that will be good enough to make the cut.

Max Homa has struggled for much of the day, but his tee shot on the par-three 17th is probably his best of the day, putting it into 10 feet.

The birdie putt just lips out, a summary of his round. Par it must be.

Bryson DeChambeau also finds the green off the tee, but needs two putts from just over 30 feet away to make par.

Viktor Hovland's shot stopped short, a theme of a few of his approaches in this second round. He chips on but has a 16-foot putt down the slope to make par.

The putt is aimed well out left and is very slow, probably started that a smidge too left and must settle for bogey, which feels as if his chances of making the weekend are all but over.

For 14 of his 17 holes today, Hovland has been excellent, but four dropped shots and an eight-over-par opening round have ruined overshadowed what has been a largely brilliant second round.

Not a great strike from Rory McIlroy on the ninth, and the ball floats up high and short on the 194-yard par three and slams into the bunker - and it'll be a big surprise if that's not plugged.

He might need a bucket and spade to get this one out.

No heroics from Robert MacIntyre down the 18th who realistically needed to slam dunk his approach in for eagle to reach the projected cut line at four over.

The Scotsman finishes off with a par and unless anything remarkable happens can probably have a beer or two tonight and watch Scotland v Germany as the Euros gets under way, without worrying about having a fuzzy head on Saturday.

It's a bad misread from Rory McIlroy as he rolls another long birdie putt to the left, but at least the speed was good.

Scottie Scheffler is dead on with his pace from 30 feet but he's just off line and he has to stay on five over and if he can't find a closing birdie he'll be sweating big time on making the cut.

Tommy Fleetwood can't buy a birdie at present. The Englishman is fractions out from draining an uphill putt from just off the 17th hole but it just holds left.