US Open day two: Richard Bland stays strong as Hideki Matsuyama’s belt gives up

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Richard Bland continued his rich and surprising vein of form to become the oldest player in tournament history to share the lead at the halfway stage of the US Open.

Bland, who won his first European Tour title at the 478th attempt last month, added a second round of 67 to his opening 70 at Torrey Pines for a five-under-par total of 137.

That looked set to be eclipsed when Russell Henley birdied his penultimate hole of the day to move to six under, but the American then three-putted the last from 18 feet.

Last year’s runner-up Matthew Wolff and former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen were a shot off the pace, with pre-tournament favourite Jon Rahm and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson on three under.

Tweet of the day

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama suffered a “wardrobe malfunction” during the second round.

Quote of the day

Richard Bland gave a great answer when asked about his Birdies for Rhinos headcover.

Shot of the day

South Africa’s Branden Grace made a brilliant eagle on the par-four second.

Round of the day

Playing in just the fourth major of his career, Richard Bland carded a superb 67 to share the halfway lead.

Statistic of the day

One for fans of Richard Bland and coincidences – the 48-year-old came into the week with the same ranking as Phil Mickelson had before winning the US PGA.

Easiest hole

The par-five 18th played the easiest for the second day in succession, yielding four eagles and 58 birdies to play to an average of 4.591.

Toughest hole

The par-three 11th was again the toughest hole, just four players making birdie, 58 making bogey, eight making a double bogey and two carding a triple bogey. That led to an average of 3.490.

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