U.S. Open 2018: Steve Stricker keeps the sneakiest streak in golf alive at Shinnecock Hills by making the cut

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) The Latest on the US Open (all times local):

4:20 p.m.

Phil Mickelson says he didn’t mean any disrespect when he hit a moving ball on the 13th green at the U.S. Open.

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The five-time major champion jogged after the ball to keep it from rolling away from the hole and hit it back to where he had been standing.

That earned him a two-stroke penalty. Mickelson said he thought it would have taken him more than two strokes if he had let the ball keep rolling.

He said he’s thought about doing it before, but this was the first time it made sense and that he didn’t intend to make a mockery of the game.

”It’s certainly not meant that way,” he said. ”It’s meant to take advantage of the rules as best you can. In that situation, I would gladly take the two shots.”

Mickelson took a 10 on the hole with the penalty and finished the day with an 81 that left him at 17 over for the tournament.

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4:15 p.m.

Dustin Johnson is down to a one-stroke le..

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) The Latest on the US Open (all times local):

Noon

Phil Mickelson won’t have any trouble remembering Saturday is his birthday.

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Mickelson turned 48, and he was serenaded with ”Happy Birthday” when he strode to the first tee at Shinnecock to start his third round of the U.S. Open. As he stepped toward the tee shot, one fan screamed, ”Hit a good birthday shot, Phil!”

And that was just the first hole.

The best present for Lefty would be contention for the title. This is the only major he has never won, and Mickelson has had two good chances at Shinnecock Hills. He opened with two pars. He remains 10 shots behind.

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11:20 a.m.

Dustin Johnson has history on his side going into the weekend at the U.S. Open.

Johnson became the seventh player to lead by at least four shots after 36 holes in more than a century of this 72-hole championship. Only one player failed to win the trophy, and that was in 1909 when Tom McNamara sputtered on the..

Check out Peter Uihlein's approach shot on the 3rd hole during round 3 of the 118th U.S. Open. Sponsored by #Lexus

NBCThere were 20 amateurs who teed it up at the 2018 U.S. Open, but a potential 21st, Mickey DeMorat, decided to turn pro at the last minute. Good choice.
The recent Liberty University grad is guaranteed a paycheck after becoming one of the more unlikely players to make the cut at Shinnecock Hills, both because of his golf résumé (DeMorat never won a college tournament) and the fact he overcame a rare two-stroke penalty in the first round for playing the wrong ball. A penalty which his uncle, comedian Daniel Tosh, was not happy about.
https://twitter.com/danieltosh/status/1007424381855789056
And which he eventually blamed his brother-in-law, DeMorat's caddie:
https://twitter.com/danieltosh/status/1007738926633644032
In fact, Tosh's twitter feed has turned into a non-stop source of updates and info on his nephew. From reminders to Fox announcers on how to pronounce his name:
https://twitter.com/danieltosh/status/1007736825719357441
To taking credit for his success:
https://twi..

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) Dustin Johnson has history on his side going into the weekend at the U.S. Open.

Johnson became the seventh player to lead by at least four shots after 36 holes in more than a century of this 72-hole championship. Only one player failed to win the trophy, and that was in 1909 when Tom McNamara sputtered on the weekend.

Johnson was the only player under par – 4-under 136 – and led by four shots over Scott Piercy and Charley Hoffman.

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Three major champions were within five shots – Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose and defending champion Brooks Koepka. The sun was out, and there was just enough wind in the Hamptons for Shinnecock Hills to remain the tough test it has been over the opening two days.

If you've watched any of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills this week, you've likely noticed there are few trees on the property. In fact, there is only one tree in the section of course that contains the 10th through 13th holes: a lonely pine that sits to the players' left of the 13th green. The lack of trees not only makes for amazing images, it takes a lot of stress out of flying a drone there.
Last October, Golf Digest Senior Staff Photographer Dom Furore and I had the pleasure of spending a perfect fall day at Shinnecock. Dom's assignment was to capture photographs for Golf Digest's U.S. Open preview issue, and mine was to film the course with a drone. Drones have changed the way we capture golf-course images. These amazing pieces of flying technology allow us position cameras at elevations and angles that previously weren't possible.
I had been to Shinnecock before but spent the week leading into shoot day studying the course, plotting flight rou..

U.S. Open 2018: Is Shinnecock Hills a tougher test of golf than Oakmont? One U.S. Open participant tells us

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y.—The U.S. Open television experience on FOX Sports has been night and day since the network's infamous debut at Chambers Bay in 2015. This, however, will not make the championship's highlight reel.
During Friday's live coverage from Shinnecock Hills, cameras were closing in on Patrick Reed at the first hole, as announcer Joe Buck set up the shot. It's then that a vulgar conversation found its way onto live television. (Warning: The following is of sexual nature.)
Guy 1: “That’s my ex.”
Guy 2: “Yeah, she’s hot.”
Guy 1: “That’s when we were f***** so hard, and I headbutted her in the head.”*
Guy 2: “Sure.”
Guy 1: “And I smacked that b*** down.”*
Guy 2: “Yeah, what actually happened, pal?”
Guy 2: “No, straight up. We kind of went in the [indistinct] position, and I was laying down…”
“Today, during the live FS1 broadcast of the 2018 U.S. Open, one of the many microphones on the course inadvertently picked up some offensive crowd chatter,” Fox Sports spo..

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) A look at the key hole in the second round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Hole: 8

Par: 4

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Yardage: 448

Stroke Average: 4.1

Rank: 9

Ian Poulter was within a shot of the lead playing his 17th hole of the day when he made a triple bogey. His 7 on the hole left Dustin Johnson with a four-shot lead midway through the Open.