Ludvig Oberg was back on track at the U.S. Open on Friday and was in sole possession of first place after 36 holes. He shot a 1-under 69 to finish at 5-under. First Lead The third round will take place on Saturday.
The former Texas Tech Red Raiders player is again competing to win a major championship in 2024. He has played exceptionally well at Augusta National, another challenging golf course. Oberg finished runner-up to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at this year’s Masters.
But he made some mistakes late, especially on the 11th hole, that cost him a chance to win the green jacket, so Oberg will have a chance to put those experiences to good use this weekend in North Carolina.
“I think Augusta proved to me that I could be in that position,” Oberg said.
“It was justification to be there on Sunday and be able to compete. The golf course was very difficult as well. It took a lot of patience and discipline, just like this time. I think what we had in April was great and hopefully we can see parallels between them.”
The young Swede continued his winning streak on the second hole at Pinehurst on Friday. He continued to play very consistently, hitting 12 of 14 strokes on the fairway and 14 of 18 on the green. The 24-year-old only missed two fairways and six greens over the first two days.
At this point he Leading the industry Both total strokes gained and strokes gained from the tee.
But while he didn’t have his best day on Friday – recording three birdies and two bogeys – his round was solid enough to move him up the leaderboard and into sole possession of first place.
“I thought I hit it pretty well today,” Oberg said.
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images
“It’s very challenging and it’s not an easy golf course. I feel like we were very disciplined and patient and just tried to hit the target all the time and see how good a shot we could make today and see where it goes in the end.”
He is trying to become the first player in 110 years to win the U.S. Open in his debut appearance. Many say Francis Ouimet put the U.S. Open on the map when he won as an amateur at the Country Club of Brookline in 1913. Others have called Ouimet’s victory the most important in the history of professional golf.
Nevertheless, the U.S. Open has transformed into golf’s toughest test, and Pinehurst has proven relentless.
“The U.S. Open is supposed to be difficult,” he said.
“It’s going to be a difficult game. It’s going to challenge every aspect of our game, and I feel that’s what it is. But we’ve been fortunate in the way the last few days have gone and hopefully we can keep this up.”
Despite the course’s difficulty, Oberg knows it quite well. He played in the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2019. I couldn’t move forward He made it through the round of 32. From that experience, he learned a lot about how to tackle this difficult golf course.
“When the greens get really firm, there’s no escape, so I think you just have to hit your golf shots and see where they land,” Oberg said.
“If it doesn’t go well, it makes short game shots really difficult. I think it’s a difficult golf course, but again, that’s how it was meant to be.”
The final pairing in the third round of the U.S. Open will be between Oberg and Bryson DeChambeau.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a Golf Staff Writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
