THE return of the US Open to Los Angeles has prompted all kinds of references to Hollywood and, as the championship heads into the weekend, there’s a real sense that we’re watching the latest release from a long running franchise that, to everyone’s surprise, has absolutely changed artistic direction.

The 123rd US Open at LA Country Club was always expected to resemble so many of its predecessors: tough and draining, perhaps – a worthy but harrowing ordeal. Instead, it’s been really quite fun and it’s even included the extremely popular return to the big screen of a favourite star, one who never quite fulfilled his potential in his youth but was always adored by audiences across the world.

That twinkly-eyed lead is Rickie Fowler who is still only 34 yet he seems to have been around forever. He’s been sensational through two rounds, breaking records left, right and centre. His first round 62 was the lowest round in US Open history (for a few minutes, until Xander Schauffele equalled it), his 10-under halfway tally of 130 equals the championship-low 36-hole total and his 18 birdie tally is comfortably the most anyone has made at this stage of the event. And yet you sense there are plot twists to come – we’re not even close to seeing how all of this ends.

For one thing, there are others – many others – in hot pursuit of the leader. Wyndham Clark has never thrived in a major championship, he’s never even finished top 70 in one, but he’s in the form of his life and proving it to sit just one blow back of Fowler after rounds of 64-67. A further shot back lies the 2011 US Open champion Rory McIlroy (65-67) and US Open specialist (six starts, six top 20s) Xander Schauffele (62-70). Harris English is alone in fifth on 7-under, Dustin Johnson and Min Woo Lee share sixth on 6-under, Sam Bennett and the World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler are tied for eighth on 5-under. While Open champion Cam Smith completes the top 10 on 4-under.

So much quality and potential among those leaders and chasers – but what direction will they receive over the weekend? It seems inconceivable that the USGA will allow their championship to remain quite so, well, easy. The US Open is supposed to be an existential fight for par not a giddy celebration of birdies. So far we’ve learned that LA Country Club can be difficult but good shots have been well rewarded, as Dustin Johnson discovered in his remarkable second round: he made a quadruple eight at the second but rebounded with five birdies to eventually card a level-par 70. The weekend is likely to see the course set up to provide more of the danger DJ encountered yesterday and less of the thrills and spills that followed.

The numbers

Being close to the lead at this stage has been vital in the past. Not essential, but something special has been required to bump the trends. In fact, 24 of the last 27 champions were within two blows of the lead after 36 holes and 25 were within three. The exceptions were Brooks Koepka, who was five back in 2018, and Webb Simpson, who was six back in 2012. In Koepka’s case, the halfway leader (Dustin Johnson) carded a third round 77 when four clear to draw Koepka back into the hunt. Simpson rather more simply outscored the field with two 68s. Fitzpatrick had been T13th at halfway, Simpson T29th – the other 25 recent winners had all been tied sixth or better. These digits suggest everyone in the top 10 can win but that the top five have the edge (which their presence actually in the top five also indicates, of course).

Plot twist

There has been chatter about the possibility of someone emerging from the fog – quite literally in fact, because there is a distinct weather pattern in LA in June that they call the marine layer. It’s low-lying moisture in the air that hangs around the course and keeps the turf soft until the sun breaks through to dry it out. The theory is that the layout will therefore be easier to play for the early starters and progressively tougher for the late-starting leaders.

Leaderboard thoughts

McIlroy is the narrow favourite and has class but the wary will be put off by the nine-year major championship win drought and his inability to win from strong positions in his last two starts. Fowler has rediscovered his form (12 top 20s this season) and his coach Butch Harmon has asked him to stay aggressive this week, but might that become a more dangerous policy at the weekend? He will also have already used up a lot of emotional energy. Five of Schauffele’s six US Open top 20s are top 10s – he needs to find the secret of winning majors rather than flirting with them. Clark is in entirely new territory and Scheffler just never goes away. English? We’ve got him on-side after tipping him before the off at 150/1.

Each Way – Dustin Johnson at 14/1

There are not many golfers who could bounce back from needing eight blows on a par-4 but DJ did. Johnson gets a bad rap for being blasé, and maybe even half-hearted, but his peers talk of an enviable ability to put bad shots behind him. When I priced the market the 2016 champion’s price was the only one I had out of sync.

Round Three Two Ball – Padraig Harrington vs Cameron Young at 29/20

The veteran Irishman is having a ball this week, enjoying the test and he’s in good form, albeit on the Champions Tour. He’s a good man to take on Cameron Young with. The American is a fine prospect but he’s not landed a top 50 finish in his last five starts and this week is the first time he has made a US Open cut (at the fourth attempt).