By Frank Pingue OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 13 (Reuters) - Overnight U.S. Open leader J.J. Spaun shook off his first bogey of the week to reach the midway mark of his second round level with Thriston Lawrence at Oakmont Country Club where Rory McIlroy was flirting with the projected cut line.

Unheralded J.J. Spaun outshined the game’s top players and led the U.S. Open by one shot after the first round on Thursday at steamy Oakmont Country Club where the big names like Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy all struggled.

The second round of the 2025 U.S. Open got another jolt from Victor Perez. He used a 7-iron for his tee shot on the par-3 No. 6 and wound up with the second hole-in-one ever recorded during a U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

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,