Golf: Jagger still leads US Open – Swede Aberg leads

But former winner Martin Kaymer needed three more strokes than his compatriot with a round of 73 and dropped to joint 37th place. The 24-year-old Swede, Ludwig Aberg, who played a round of 66 on Thursday, leads the round of 69 and was one stroke ahead of the chasing trio.

Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay from the United States of America and Belgian Thomas Detry tied for second place. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, American Tony Finau and France's Mathieu Pavon are also in a promising position with a two-shot lead.

Woods has already been eliminated

American Scottie Scheffler, who has played brilliantly recently, posted a weaker round of 74 after an opening round of 71 and just cruised to victory by five shots over par. The 27-year-old has won five PGA Tour tournaments this season – including the prestigious Masters at Augusta for the second time.

On the other hand, American golf legend Tiger Woods missed qualifying for the last two rounds by a total of 147 strokes. His compatriot Phil Mickelson will also not be around this weekend.

For Kaymer, returning to the No. 2 Pinehurst Golf Course brings back special memories. The 39-year-old professional from Mettmann was the only German golfer to win the US Open there in 2014, thus securing the second major title of his career. The US Open victory would remain Kaymer's final singles title to date. In 2022, Rhinelander joined the controversial LIV round, which is financed by Saudi Arabia.

Jäger now has a better chance of pulling off the upset. The 35-year-old from Munich, who lives in the USA, maintained the good provisional score with two rounds of 70.

dpa