Sepp Straka’s journey on Friday began with a few polite reminders of “fore” but culminated in a crescendo of ecstasy that also featured a career highlight.
Straka was even through two holes and set up shop at a par four where he hit his second shot a little too perfectly as his shot took a bee-line to the flagstick before violently deflecting off of it and into a nearby bunker.
His next shot out of the bunker flew over the back green and needed four more shots to finish the hole.
Rough luck for Straka, who hit nearly a perfect shot but walked away from the dreaded third hole with a triple bogey.
A few holes later, Straka would get some ground back, nailing an ace on the ninth hole with a 194-yard iron shot.
Straka’s shot landed several feet in front of the hole with two big bounces before slowly rolling in as if it were a simple putt.
These kinds of ups and downs on the front nine are something you don’t see often.
He ended the front nine with a triple bogey, two bogeys, two pars, one birdie and his first career hole-in-one on the PGA Tour.
Had the third hole gone differently, Straka would be well in contention heading into the weekend as he easily could’ve been in line to birdie the third hole.
Instead, he triple-bogeyed it and up to a four-hole swing for the Austrian-born golfer.
Straka ended the day at +2 after a bizarre first nine holes and it appears he’ll play the weekend with a projected cut line at +4.
Had everything stayed the same and a favorable bounce gone his way, he’d be at -2 and tied for seventh.
Straka learned the hard way that the U.S. Open at Pinehurst is one of the more unforgiving courses in the PGA.
Ludvig Aberg at the top of the leaderboard at -5.
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