English trio Luke Donald, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter were all just one shot off the lead in the delayed second round of the US Open as Merion proved beyond doubt it had stood the test of time.
Donald completed an opening 68 on Friday morning and then added a second round of 72 to finish level par, one shot behind joint clubhouse leaders Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel.
Horschel had set the target after a 67 and looked like leading on his own until Mickelson birdied the 18th just seconds after the siren signalled play had been suspended for the day.
That gave the five-time US Open runner-up a round of 72 and meant just two players finished the day under par, with Poulter alongside his Ryder Cup team-mates Rose and Donald on level with four holes to play.
Mickelson had asked the group ahead to stand aside on the 18th fairway to ensure his group could tee off before play was suspended, therefore allowing him the option to complete the round and avoid an early restart on Saturday morning.
“I spoke to Dustin (Johnson) on the 17th and they moved out the way so Keegan (Bradley) could hit a tee shot,” the left-hander said.
“It was nice of them and it was a nice way for me to finish. I had fought hard all the way and had let a lot of birdie opportunities slip.”
Rose echoed the importance of finishing his round, especially after saving par by getting up and down from 110 yards to complete a superb 69.
“That was huge, it could be worth shots tomorrow,” he said.
“Instead of a 7:30am restart and then having to kill seven or eight hours, that lie-in is going to feel very very good.”
Donald’s rollercoaster round featured four birdies and six bogeys, four of them coming in succession from the fourth, and he said: “You’re going to make mistakes, I need to try to minimise those mistakes over the next couple of days.
“This is a tough course and it’s obviously showing that you don’t need a course to be ultra long to make it difficult.”
At 6,996 yards, Merion was feared to be too short by modern standards and last staged a US Open in 1981, but Donald added: “I think Merion is holding its own, for sure.”
The 35-year-old has never recorded a top-10 finish in the US Open and last led a major at the 2006 US PGA Championship, but always felt the course would suit his game.
“I would love to be a couple of shots better, but certainly I think come the end of round two I’m going to be in a good place,” he said.
“I’d take a couple under (as a winning score) right now. I’m excited to be in contention, and have a chance.
“Obviously I haven’t played very well in the US Open before, but when I saw this place last week I thought it was a good fit for my game. And obviously it’s nice to come here and feel like I’m swinging pretty well and I’ve got a chance.
“Hopefully I can throw a good one in tomorrow and really be in the mix come Sunday.”
Playing partner Lee Westwood had resumed on one under after a double bogey on the 12th when his third shot to the par-four 12th clattered into one of the wicker baskets used instead of a standard flag and rebounded back off the front of the green.
He bogeyed the 17th on his way to an opening 70 and then offered a typically sardonic response when asked about the incident.
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson was the rules official with his group and Westwood said: “Peter Dawson has assured me we will be going back to flags for the Open Championship, like normal people.”
Westwood felt he was still in a good position but struggled to a second round of 77 that left him seven over par and facing a long wait to see if that would make the cut – a wait which at least looked like proving worthwhile as the round went on.
World number one Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy could well be paired together for the third round in succession after matching rounds of 73 and 70 left them three over, while the third member of that group – Masters champion Adam Scott – was alongside Westwood on seven over after rounds of 72 and 75.
Woods had winced in apparent pain from his left arm on several shots out of the rough but refused to go into details about how he had injured his elbow during his victory at the Players Championship last month.
“It is what it is and you move on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Horschel had remarkably hit all 18 greens in regulation during his round of 67 which equalled the lowest of the week.
“It was a great day,” said Horschel, whose only bogey came when he three-putted the 115-yard 13th.
“Four birdies at a US Open, I’ll take it. I wish I had a couple more though.
“I didn’t know I hit every green until I walked off 18. It’s a cool thing, but it’s not the first time I’ve hit all 18 greens. I’ve done it plenty of times in my career. Obviously it’s at a US Open, but I think the softness of the greens helped that.”