Kim Joo-hyung fired the opening shot of his revival, finishing the first half of the 126th US Open tied for second place. The third major championship of the men's golf season has set the stage for a turnaround for Kim, who was once called the "post-Tiger Woods" but had endured a slump that dropped him to as low as 141st in the world rankings. The tournament has given him a chance at both his first major victory and a turnaround for the season.
Kim shot a 3-under-par 67 with four birdies and one bogey in the second round held Friday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (par 70) in Southampton, New York.
At an intermediate total of 3-under-par 137, he stood tied for second alongside Sam Stevens and Xander Schauffele of the United States and Matt Fitzpatrick of England. He trails sole leader Wyndham Clark of the United States (7-under-par 133) by four strokes.
The day's play began after the completion of remaining first-round holes that had been suspended the previous day due to inclement weather. While 50 players were finishing their first round, Kim, who had already completed 18 holes in the previous morning's group, enjoyed the advantage of focusing solely on the second round.
The front nine was a roller coaster. He grabbed his first birdie at the par-5 5th hole with a two-on, two-putt, but committed a bogey at the par-4 6th hole when his second shot fell short. After turning at even par, Kim picked up the pace on the back nine. He birdied the par-4 10th and par-4 12th holes by conquering the narrow fairways, and at the par-5 16th hole, he climbed the leaderboard by adding a birdie after sticking his third shot to 2.8 meters from the hole despite strong winds.
Born in 2002, Kim was discussed as a next-generation star after collecting three PGA Tour wins through 2023. However, his decline continued from the 2024 season, and he recorded only one top-10 finish in 26 tournaments last year. This year too, his slump persisted, with just one top-10 finish in 14 tournaments.
But he laid the groundwork for a rebound last month by finishing second in US Open qualifying, earning a tournament berth granted to the top nine players. Having claimed a tie for second place through the second round of the main event, he is now raising expectations for a comeback.
Im Sung-jae, who competed alongside, shot a 2-under-par 68 with five birdies and three bogeys, standing tied for 34th at an intermediate total of 2-over-par 142. Kim Si-woo, ranked 18th in the world, managed to recover only one stroke from his 7-over-par struggle in the first round, missing the cut (4-over-par) at an intermediate total of 6-over-par 146.
Collin Morikawa of the United States, who cut five strokes on the day, rose to sixth place at an intermediate total of 2-under-par 138. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States, who is pursuing a career Grand Slam at this tournament, shot a 2-under-par 68 for an intermediate total of even-par 140, jumping from a tie for 49th the previous day to a tie for 10th. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland also posted the same score to join the tie for 10th.
