OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Victor Perez capped a nice second-day rally with a tournament highlight — the first U.S. Open ace at Oakmont since 1983.
Perez hit a 7-iron on the sixth hole, a 192-yard par 3. The ball landed short of the hole, took a couple of bounces and rolled in. Perez ended up shooting an even-par 70 on Friday despite an early triple bogey. He's at 1 over through two rounds and was tied for sixth when play was suspended because of rain with only a few players left on the course.
“Obviously, a hole-in-one takes a bit of luck,” Perez said. “I was trying to hit something maybe 15, 20 feet past the hole.”
A double eagle, or albatross — like the one Patrick Reed made Thursday — is much more rare than an ace. However, the last time Oakmont yielded a hole-in-one during this national championship was 42 years ago, when Scott Simpson had one on No. 16.
The 1994, 2007 and 2016 U.S. Opens, also held at this course, all came and went without an ace.
Perez, a Frenchman who earned a spot for this tournament at a qualifier in Canada, said he's on a bit of a hole-in-one run.
“I've actually had two this month, against all odds," he said. “Back in the Bahamas, where I live.”
After shooting a first-round 71, Perez started Friday on No. 10 and quickly made a triple-bogey 8 on No. 12.
“Obviously, it wasn’t an ideal start. Kind of put myself a little bit behind the 8-ball after three holes," he said. "It was a bit unfortunate, but I was able to kind of keep my head going and bounce back.”
He was at 4 over when he birdied the par-4 fifth hole. Then came his ace, which he celebrated by doing a leaping chest bump with his caddie.
“You try to just make pars and survive,” Perez said. “When you get kind of a chip-in, bonuses, something like that, it definitely kicks off. So it was nice to have a little bit of emotion.”
By the time Friday was over, Perez was just four strokes off the lead. He said he'd have happily signed up to be 1 over through 36 holes.
“A hundred percent," he said.
James Nicholas clearly wanted to enjoy himself at Oakmont this week.
The 28-year-old from Scarsdale, New York — who played football in addition to golf at Yale — qualified for the U.S. Open in New Jersey earlier this month and then turned some heads with a first-round 69 on Thursday.
Friday wasn't as kind as Nicholas shot 45 on the front nine, including a quadruple bogey on No. 5. But he rebounded with a 33 on the back, smiling and egging on his supporters after making three straight birdies.
Nicholas flipped his putter and caught it out of the air after missing a par putt on No. 18. Perhaps he thought that would cost him the weekend, but he ended up making the cut right on the number at 7 over.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro stopped by for Friday's second around and declared his state to be “the golf capital of the United States."
He'd surely receive some pushback on that, but Pennsylvania has been quite popular to the USGA. This is the 95th USGA championship held in the commonwealth, the most of any state.
Oakmont is hosting the U.S. Open for a record 10th time.
“It’s a sense of pride for Pennsylvania, and particularly western Pennsylvania, to know that this is the course that’s been chosen more than any other for a U.S. Open," Shapiro said. “It’s also big business. It means our hotels and our restaurants, our bars are filled because of this. It also opens up people’s eyes to the beauty of western Pennsylvania, the great culture of western Pennsylvania.”
Justin Hastings shot a second straight 73 to become the lone amateur to make the cut.
The 21-year-old Hastings is the first player from the Cayman Islands to compete in the U.S. Open. He earned his spot by winning the Latin America Amateur in January in Argentina. That win also got him into the Masters, where he missed the cut by two strokes but was the top amateur.
Hastings just finished his senior season at San Diego State, where he won the Mountain West individual title.
The rainstorm near the end of the second round was significant enough to halt play, and there's a chance for more of that over the weekend.
That could be welcome if a softer course becomes a bit more manageable.
"It was starting to look like another day of hot, dry weather and the weekend would be very difficult out here," said Adam Scott, who is three shots off the lead. “There were certain greens that had a slickness about them and a firmness too. Fairways even getting a little bit like that. So the rain might keep it under control, hopefully, and spare us some frustrations.”
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Victor Perez, of France, acknowledges fans as he walks up to the seventh tee after making a hole in one on the sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Friday, June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Victor Perez, of France, acknowledges fans as he walks up to the seventh tee after making a hole in one on the sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Friday, June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Victor Perez, of France, tips his cap as he walks up to the seventh tee after making a hole in one on the sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Friday, June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A July Fourth weekend deluge in Texas caused catastrophic flash flooding that has killed at least 89 people.
Camp Mystic in Kerr County says Monday morning that it is “grieving the loss” of 27 campers and counselors as the search continues for victims of the disaster. The flooding sent a wall of water through the century-old summer camp Friday.
The risk of life-threatening flooding was still high in central Texas with more rain on the way.
The Texas Hill Country is home to several summer camps. Searchers there have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children. Fourteen other deaths have been reported in other parts of Texas.
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A table with snacks and water sat at the bottom of a hill where cracked dirt and depressed grass marked the landscape toward the Guadalupe River.
It was a bright and sunny 80 degrees (26 degrees Celsius) shortly before 2 p.m. as private citizens from across the state hacked away at mangled trees not yet traversed by official rescue operations.
“I had guys show up at that other site,” said volunteer Terrance Ogden, referring to authorities cutting off entry from private individuals in Kerrville. “They got told ‘Go to Center Point.’”
The group, which includes two canine teams as well as boats and vehicles, was expected to arrive in San Antonio on Tuesday morning and remain in Texas for up to 14 days.
“The team we are sending has the training necessary for dealing with these kinds of disaster environments and will be able to expedite the search efforts that continue to take place,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement.
“Texas has helped us when we’ve had different issues throughout the years,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference. “And we’re happy to step up.”
DeSantis said it’s unfair to politicize the initial response to the unpredictably destructive storm and flooding.
“Mother Nature, especially the water, we see that in Florida with storm surge, it can be really, really nasty,” DeSantis said. “And this was a biblical flood. It was much more than what I think they anticipated.”
Asked if Trump may delay his promise to close FEMA and leave disaster response up to the states, Leavitt said, “The president has always said he wants states to do as much as they can.”
She added that Texas officials are doing a “tremendous job” in response to the flooding.
Pressed in a subsequent question about phasing out FEMA, Leavitt said she’d already answered the question — even though she hadn’t.
Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence of Dallas had just finished second grade, their parents said.
“Hanna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper, and to so many others,” John and Lacy Lawrence said in a statement. “We will find ways to keep that joy, and to continue to spread it for them. But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them, and that they shared with each other, is now frozen in time. “
David Lawrence, the girls’ grandfather and former publisher of the Miami Herald, said “it has been an unimaginable time for all of us.” He said the girls gave their family, including their sister, joy.
“They and that joy can never be forgotten,” he said in a statement.
▶ More about the victims
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the president will be visiting the devastating flooding “later this week.”
She called what happened a “once in a generation national disaster” and urged “everyone in the area to remain vigilant, listen to all warnings and respond accordingly.”
Leavitt said the visit would likely come Friday, but that no final decision had been made.
She also bristled at suggestions that deep Trump administration cuts to federal services may have affected authorities’ response to the flooding.
She blamed Democrats and said that faulting “President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie” and insisted that the National Weather Service “did its job” in spreading warnings about possible catastrophic funding.
In a post on Instagram, Hunt mourned the loss of so many lives, “including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friend’s little girls.” She did not provide the victims’ names.
After being turned away from rescue efforts near Kerriville, the volunteers launched their own search in Center Point about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away from the most severe flooding.
“This morning, we showed up and basically the government has taken our site and the civilians working in there,” said Cord Shiflet, one of the civilian volunteers spearheading the effort.
About 150 people are hacking through flattened and muddy brush and combing through debris near the Guadalupe River, according to Shiflet.
“Louisiana stands with Texas, and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to assist in their recovery,” Gov. Jeff Landry said.
“The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors,” the Texas Republican wrote over the weekend.
A staffer in his office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Those wanting to support relief and recovery efforts should donate to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, officials said during a news conference.
The nonprofit’s website says it will “direct funds to vetted organizations providing rescue, relief and recovery efforts.”
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice and Mayor Joe Herring said that while there was a continued need for volunteers, those looking to help should first register with the Kerrville Salvation Army.
“We need focused and coordinated volunteers, not random people showing up and doing what they do,” said Herring.
The warm water of the Gulf fueled the moist atmosphere, and even more moisture came from areas over the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Remnants of moisture from Tropical Storm Barry also lingered over Texas because the jet stream, a current of air that moves weather patterns, wasn’t there to push it away.
The combination gave the storm plenty of fuel once it got started.
Meteorologists said that an atmosphere warmed by human-caused climate change can hold more moisture and allow bad storms to dump more rain, though it’s hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur.
A video posted by Devon Paige shows girls on a bus singing the lyrics to “Pass It On,” a Christian hymn written by Kurt Kaiser.
“I wish for you, my friend,” they chant, their bus rolling past toppled trees, and a rescue vehicle, flashers on. “This happiness that I’ve found.”
As the bus passes a National Guard Jeep, the terrified chorus sings, “I’ll shout it from the mountaintop.” In unison, they shout, “Praise God.”
Most of those requesting assistance needed help replacing their passports, President Claudia Sheinbaum said. Nine people asked for help to return to Mexico.
Sheinbaum said proudly that two Mexican girls helped to rescue other girls.
She said that the consulate is “in constant communication with the families, and when weather conditions permit, they will visit the shelters.”
“This is not a time for partisan finger-pointing and attacks,” the Republican senator said. “There will be a time to find out what could have been done differently. My hope is, in time, we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is a flood.”
Cruz said the situation in Kerr County is “every parent’s nightmare.”
“The pain and agony of not knowing your children’s whereabouts is the worst thing imaginable,” Cruz said during a news conference with local officials.
The bodies of 27 children are among those that have been recovered, officials said during a news conference.
Ten campers and one counselor remain missing, officials said.
Officials had previously said the death toll in Kerr County was 68. Ten other deaths have been reported in other parts of Texas.
Slow-moving, heavy rainfall is expected to reach up to 4 additional inches, the National Weather Service said.
The flood watch lasts through 7 p.m. local time.
The 10 a.m. Central news conference will be the first official update since Camp Mystic officials confirmed early this morning that they lost 27 campers and counselors when a wall of water swept through the campground in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July.
The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up.
Friday’s flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark, early morning hours.
▶ What to know about the flash floods
Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “ nobody saw this coming.” Various officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.
And records behind those statistics don’t always account for human-caused climate change.
Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate.
Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor.
Kerr County officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost.
Organizers at a staging area in Center Point said more than 1,000 volunteers have been directed to the area about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of Kerrville, and more are being sent.
A first responder carries out a search and rescue operation near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman)
Volunteers carry out search and rescue operations near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman)
First responders carry out search and rescue operations near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman)
Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman)
Officials ride an armored vehicle near Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Military personnel return a camp trunk salvaged from down river to Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A sign for Camp Mystic is seen on a hill as a heavy-lift military helicopter flies by over the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Officials are seen in the Guadalupe River as they assist in recovery efforts after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
