(Update 2: Wellington product Brooks Koepka followed up his opening 70 with a 2-under 68 to tie for second with four other players including Jupiter’s Dustin Johnson, who shot 69. Martin Kaymer, meanwhile, has extended his lead to eight shots at 10-under with two holes to play. Kaymer has recorded 11 birdies against one bogey in his first 34 holes. A total of 13 players are under par as the afternoon wave gets under way.)
(Update 1: It’s not getting any closer. Another birdie, this one off a routine two-putt at No. 3 after he drove the green on the 307-yard hole, has gotten Kaymer to 9-under, six shots ahead of Jupiter’s Dustin Johnson, who is 2-under for the day and 3-under for the tournament. Wellington product Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, is 1-under for both the day and the tournament to climb to a tie for sixth with three holes to play.)
The idea that Martin Kaymer could run away with the U.S. Open came closer to reality early Friday as he continued his assault on Pinehurst No. 2.
After posting a 5-under 65 for the lowest round in Pinehurst Open history _ a history that includes tournaments in 1999 and 2005 _ Kaymer birdied four of his first seven holes Friday to get to 8-under, four shots better than qualifier Fran Quinn and five shots ahead of three players tied for third.
Kaymer’s fast start isn’t that big a surprise after he led wire-to-wire in winning The Players Championship last month at TPC-Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. His only struggles in that event came after a late-afternoon rain delay on Sunday, but his 28-foot curling par putt at No. 17 sealed the deal for his first PGA Tour victory in three years.
The 29-year-old German has had only one Tour start since, posting a 29th-place finish at the Byron Nelson with rounds of 67, 67, 71 and 72.
What could be perceived as a positive for the rest of the field is that Kaymer had an early starting time Friday and the number he will post will be a target for the afternoon group. Of course, chasing that number is one thing, matching or even getting close to it is quite another.
Quinn’s story is the kind of out-of-nowhere tale Bill Murray recounted in the movie Caddyshack. A pro since 1988, the 49-year-old has won more than $1 million on the Web.com Tour but has never been able to stick on the PGA Tour.
Quinn earned his spot in the field by shooting back-to-back 69′s to tie for medalist honors in the Sectional qualifier at Purchase, N.Y.
Heavy rains overnight softened the course considerably, making it easier to shoot at pins but also resulting in many chips coming up short. There is only a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms this afternooon.
