What to Watch in Round 2: Phil, Rory, Weather and a Worthy Underdog

Hasty judgments can be dangerous after one round in a U.S. Open, but Rory staying at the top and Phil going home seem to be safe ones.

Gary Van Sickle of Morning Read/SI.com will offer a preview before each round of the 122nd U.S. Open. Here's what he's watching:

Phil, About to Exit

If you want to watch Phil Mickelson play in another U.S. Open that he’s not going to win or notch a record seventh runner-up finish, get up early. His tee time is 8:02 a.m. and he won’t be playing on the weekend unless he shoots the tournament’s low round. Thursday, Mickelson made a pair of double bogeys, fired 78, 8 over par, and beat only seven players in the 156-man field and only two of the nine amateurs competing.

Rory, Here to Stay

You’d better keep an eye on Rory McIlroy. With his inspired Canadian Open win, he resembles the hottest player in the world and it already seems as if anyone who wins this U.S. Open at The Country Club will have to go through McIlroy, if it’s possible to make a hasty judgment after one round. McIlroy had four birdies and shot 67, 3 under, and while pleased with his play, was irked that he bogeyed No. 9, his finishing hole. His wedge game looked better than it’s ever been. In short, don’t expect him to fade away. Anybody got a phone number for FanDuel.com?

Callum Tarren, Anonymous Contender

Need a player to root for? Try Callum Tarren, who continues a long tradition of little-known players leading and/or contending after the U.S. Open’s first round.

Tarrum is 31, from England, ranked 445th in the world and played his way onto the PGA Tour via the Korn Ferry Tour finals last year. He made it into the Open through through the Ontario qualifier and after missing the cut at last week’s Canadian Open, he flew to Boston. He made it, his golf clubs didn’t. Five other tour players were on his flight and they got their clubs.

The same thing happened when Tarren played the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. The airlines misplaced his clubs, which he didn’t get back until Wednesday. This time, he sent a friend to the Toronto airport (where he flew from) to give the airline personnel “a little kick,” he said. His clubs showed up at Boston’s airport Sunday afternoon; Tarren showed up on the Open’s leaderboard Thursday. An underdog lives …

It May Rain Friday, Or Not

It’s shocking that a weather forecast would be wrong in the Northeast — OK, it’s actually pretty common. The forecast on the USGA website called for rain and breezy conditions Thursday morning. They didn’t happen although winds did pick up in the afternoon. The new forecast says there’s a chance of that same rain and wind Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. If so, that could be a bit of a problem for the Friday afternoon wave, which includes McIlroy.

The Bradley Plan

Check out former PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley, a New England native, to see if he can pull of his detailed plan to win the U.S. Open. What’s his plan? “I just want to try to make a million pars,” he said. Thursday, Bradley parred 16 of 18 holes and shot even par. That leaves 999,984 to go. Good thing he didn’t jump to the LIV Tour (whose title is actually Roman numerals for 54, the number of holes the tour plays) or we’d have to convert that figure to Roman numerals. Which would require calling in the sixth-grade teacher who taught that subject …

More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:

> One Round Down, Three to Go in Rory McIlroy’s Quest to End Major Drought
> Michael Jordan Advises Harold Varner III to Decline ‘Nuts’ LIV Offer, Stay on PGA Tour
> One of Golf’s Most Connected Amateurs Has Much to Say on LIV Golf and None of It Positive
> Rory McIlroy Out to Another Fast Major Start, Shoots 67
> Phil Mickelson Warmly Greeted in U.S. Open First Round, But Struggles with 78
> U.S. Open Day 1: Live Scores, Updates
> DP World Tour Needs to Take a Stand One Way or Another on LIV Golf
> The 2022 U.S. Open Will Award a Record $17.5 Million Purse, $3.15 Million to Win

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