Wyndham Clark secured a historic four-shot lead at the US Open on Friday after carding a one-under-par 69 during the second round at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton.
The 2023 champion reached a seven-under-par total of 133, breaking the previous 36-hole tournament record of six under par set in 2004.
Clark leads Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Sam Stevens, and Tom Kim by four strokes entering the weekend.
The American leader rebounded from a difficult stretch on the greens, securing his advantage with lengthy birdie putts on the 13th and 18th holes.
"I really felt like I could be in double digits," Clark said. "I turned not my best golf into a good day."
Rebuilding Reputation
Clark also addressed his ongoing efforts to rebuild his reputation following a controversial locker-damaging incident at Oakmont a year ago.
"I've gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so," Clark said. "The thing that's unfortunate is that's not who I am, what happened last year."
"I'm hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident," he added.
"I really feel like I can show people that I'm fun and outgoing, I'm fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment."
Among the chasing pack, former champion Matt Fitzpatrick remained in contention despite dropping late shots, while Collin Morikawa surged forward with a round of 65.
World No 2 Rory McIlroy fell seven shots behind the leader after suffering three consecutive bogeys and a double-bogey on the back nine.
"The back nine was a bit of a battle," McIlroy said.
"I think [the afternoon starters] will feel like they got the rough end of the draw [with the conditions], but still feel like I'm in the tournament and in with a decent chance."
McIlroy remains tied at even par alongside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who posted a resilient 68.
"If there's a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you're seven back going into the weekend like I am, it's definitely this one," McIlroy said.
Further down the leaderboard, Dustin Johnson dropped out of contention following a quadruple-bogey on the 15th hole.
Former champions Bryson DeChambeau and JJ Spaun both missed the four-over-par cut line, while Joaquin Niemann made history by qualifying for the weekend despite recording an 11 on a single hole during his opening round.
