by Jeff Skinner
Martin Kaymer ruled the day at Pinehurst No. 2 today. His five under par 65 matched the new U.S. Open record at Pinehurst which he set yesterday. His 36 hole total of 130 broke Rory McIlroy’s Congressional record of 131 set in 2011.
With golfers still on the course but no one making a huge move, Kaymer looks to be heading to dinner with a healthy lead. He sits at -10 with Brendon Todd six back at -4.
In the understatement of the day, Kaymer acknowledged he is off to a good start but was cautious in his assessment, “Yeah, that was a lot of success so far the last two rounds. I played very solid again, very similar to yesterday.” Eleven birdies and a lone bogey is a bit more than solid.
Yesterday Kaymer said not to expect another another 65 but he came trough with a repeat and explained why. “Well, the rain. There was some, lots, of rain last night that made the golf course playable. Because I was expecting the golf course playing a lot firmer and obviously that rain helped a lot last night and you could still be aggressive today. We had perfect greens in the morning, but still you have to hit good shots. But you know what I said, it’s very rare, obviously the record shows that it’s very rare that somebody shoots 10-under par after two rounds. And it just happened in my case now. So, yeah, but I didn’t expect it.”
Kaymer didn’t hit many wayward shots but when he did he found it easier to recover at this U.S. Open setup. 
When asked which he preferred to play out of the sandy areas or the traditional deep rough he drew some laughter, “Oh, neither one.”
He went on to say he liked the setup and that’s understandable for the leader. “But I actually like the way it plays now. Obviously, I didn’t play in 2005. So for me, it’s very difficult to compare it, but I actually enjoy a different U.S. Open right now. We have played — usually the U.S. Open is you know coming to the golf tournament it’s going to be tight fairways, thick rough, fast greens, and this week it’s little bit different. I think for us Europeans, or especially the guys from the U.K., we’re more used to playing those golf courses than the thick rough and long fairway or long holes with tight fairways. So I think it’s a little bit of a favor for the European players, because we are used to playing those golf courses more.”
When asked earlier in the week for a winning score Kaymer said 8 over par. It looks like he’s better at taking the shots than predicting them. But he realizes that there are 36 holes of golf left and will try not to get too far ahead of himself, “Well, I don’t need to set any goals. I just wait for what the afternoon will do. If you set goals, then you’re adding a little pressure again because you try to reach them instead of going out there and being equal, being neutral, just play. So I’m not really into goals for the next two days, I just want to play.”
That’s sounds like a solid plan. Just playing has worked well for him the first two days.
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