(Reuters) – Belgian Thomas Detry used a red-hot putter to move into contention heading into the weekend at the U.S. Open, carding a three-under-par 67 at Pinehurst in a confident second round.
No Belgian has won a major but Detry looked to have a chance of ending the streak after finishing fourth at the PGA Championship and he backed up that performance up with six birdies and three bogeys in North Carolina.
“It was nice to see that with some of the good golf I was able to compete against the best,” Detry told reporters. “I feel like I’m utilising that confidence quite nicely this week. Hopefully, I can keep it going for the weekend.”
Starting on the back nine, he drained a long par putt on the 10th and followed up with three birdies, before salvaging a bogey on the par-four 14th with a 12-foot putt.
The 31-year-old had another three birdies through the first five holes of the front nine, but was brought back down to earth by bogeys on the sixth and eighth holes.
“If you would have told me on Wednesday I would have been 5-under in my round today, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Detry told reporters.
“Really pleased. I just played target golf. I was very committed to my targets. I was hitting a lot of full shots out there. I was trying to get as much elevation as possible.”
He heads into the weekend having broken par in the first two rounds as the tricky Pinehurst course has challenged far more decorated players this week.
“I always tend to do better at courses where pars gains on the field, keep moving on,” Detry said.
“It puts a little bit less pressure on my putting. When I have a birdie chance, it’s like a bonus. I’ve done a great job of taking advantage of it today.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Ed Osmond)
