Thomas Detry (-4) has handed in a 67-stroke card this Friday at Pinehurst and has positioned himself as co-leader of the US Open awaiting what happens in the afternoon round. He is tied with Bryson DeChambeau (-4).
Detry is a 31-year-old Belgian golfer who carries a heavy burden on his shoulders. No one doubts that he is a very good player, with an impeccably academic swing, but he only has one victory in his career, in the Challenge Tour eight years ago. This is the stigma he carries.
In the face of this stubbornness, Detry has always done the same, lowers his head, continues working and simply waits for the opportunity, trusting that one day his luck will change. That he has not won does not mean that his career is poor. It is the great demonstration that in sport it is not only worth winning. He is settled on the PGA Tour and is strongly pointing to the fight to be in the Ryder Cup in New York in a year’s time.
His performance in the Majors had been scarce and very poor until last year’s Open Championship, but since Royal Liverpool his performances are very good. It seems he is a diesel and needs his time. In his first 18 rounds in the Majors he had accumulated a partial of +34, while in the last ten, four from the Open, four from the PGA and these two from the US Open, he adds -21. Night and day. Something has clicked in his head.
There are already six rounds in a row in the Majors under par. In the PGA Championship at Valhalla he finished in fourth position, showing himself in the battle for victory, although always in the background, and here he has started again like a shot. He is probably not the fastest learner on the planet, but he never stops moving forward.
Despite the fact that the long game is usually his main strength, today the reality is that he has been sustained by his putter. He started his round by sinking five putts in a row of more than four meters, one for par, three for birdie and another for bogey. On these bricks he has built his good round. He managed to get to six under par, the first to reach that figure in Pinehurst, but fell in the last holes with two bogeys, curiously missing two putts of three and a meter and a half. The things of this sport.
Detry is the novelty, but not so much, while DeChambeau is the sledgehammer. He is not very fine from tee to green, making mistakes here and there, but he manages with his short game and the putt, what a putt, to be in the top positions. He is so confident that it seems impossible that he could fall in the two days left. He will win or not, but he will be there. One way or another. With boring or electric golf, like those two putts of six and eight meters that he has put in holes 12 and 13 or the birdie that he has left given in the 18 to finish. He comes and goes.
Rory McIlroy (-3) is just one stroke behind the provisional lead. Today he has made 72 strokes. It could be said that he has given the sand, but the reality is that it would not be fair. He has played better than his card says, from the tee he has been colossal, a little colder than yesterday with the irons and, above all, he has not managed to shine on the greens. He has put in a putt of less than three meters and another of two meters and stop counting. Nothing more. In fact, his best moment has been sinking a chip from outside on the 17 for par. It has not been the most lucid day, but Rory’s game is still good and if he manages to make this the bad round, he will opt to win the US Open on Sunday.
Completing the list of players under par in the morning are Hideki Matsuyama (-2), who has handed in the best round of the day so far (66 strokes), Tom Kim (-1), Tyrrell Hatton (-1), Xander Schauffele (-1), who survived another bad day from the tee, and Akshay Bhatia (-1).
The playing conditions have been very good again this morning. There has been no wind and the greens maintain the same speed and firmness as Thursday. Birdies can be made, but they are very expensive and, above all, it is very difficult for the same player to make them. The rounds under par are in putting long putts, more than four meters.
