By Becky Grey
The world number 115, playing in the event for only the second time, sits on five under alongside Russell Henley.
Late starter Henley led until a bogey on 18 at Torrey Pines saw him card a 70 to finish level with 48-year-old Bland.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau is level par after a 68, alongside two-time winner Brooks Koepka (73), with Rory McIlroy (73) on one over.
Bland lost his European Tour card two years ago, but fought back and won a first title on the circuit in his 478th event in May.
“I am very proud,” Bland – the oldest man to lead the US Open at the halfway stage – told Sky Sports.
“To lead a major is always pretty special. I tied the lead at The Open in 2017 for a hole, so it is nice to have it a bit longer than that.
“I want to give the gym-goers a run for their money,” added Bland, referring to the athletic young players who generally dominate the top of the game.
outh African Louis Oosthuizen, who was among 36 players who had to complete their first rounds on Friday morning after fog delayed Thursday’s play, followed a bogey-free 67 with a 71 that featured two late birdies to leave him one adrift of the leaders.
The late starters provided less excitement with increasingly firm greens making birdies difficult, but American Matthew Wolff, runner-up to DeChambeau at Winged Foot in last year’s US Open, shot a 68 to reach four under.
Earlier, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson’s 67 left him two off the pace on three under, alongside world number three Jon Rahm, who carded a 70.
Spaniard Rahm, who led the Memorial event on the PGA Tour earlier in June by six shots may is well placed to put that disappointment behind him – and on a much bigger stage.
San Diego native Phil Mickelson had a healthy fan following on the California course and there was plenty of noise as the left-hander – a six-time runner-up in the US Open, the only major he lacks – holed a birdie on the last to card a 69 and finish two shots inside the four-over cut mark.
Following his emotional British Masters victory, Bland said he found inspiration in Mickelson’s US PGA Championship win at the record age of 50 and while the American was ranked 115th in the world.
The Englishman, who turned professional in 1996, says he never considered another career despite the long wait for a first European Tour title.
“What am I going to do, go and get an office job?” he said.
“I’m not that intelligent, I’m afraid. The old saying is you get knocked down seven times, you get up eight. I’ve always had that kind of attitude that you just keep going.”
Bland started the day one under after two late bogeys blighted an otherwise impressive round on Thursday, but he marched ahead in round two.
The Staffordshire-born player looked buoyant after two birdies in the first four holes and continued the impressive showing in his fourth major with five more birdies and two bogeys as he made his first US Open cut with plenty to spare.
McIlroy once had his own US Open fairytale – when he won the title with a runaway victory aged just 22 – but the San Diego course became a bit of a battleground for the 32-year-old on Friday.
He was at one point two off the lead, but six bogeys left him in danger of missing the cut before the Northern Irishman ensured he got in for the weekend with two birdies – and his two over could provide a solid platform from which to attack.
England’s Lee Westwood is in similar position after a 72 left him on one over, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre shot a 73 to finish on two over.
Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick (75), Tommy Fleetwood (73) and Ian Poulter (71) ended Friday on three over.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland withdrew on nine over midway through his round because of an eye injury, while England’s Justin Rose, Dave Coupland, Matthew Southgate, Tyrrell Hatton and Marcus Armitage missed the cut, as did Scotland’s Martin Laird
Henley made eight pars in a row before finally finding a birdie on the ninth to draw level with Bland and he seemed likely to hold the overnight lead as he birdied the eighth to reach six under on his 17th hole.
However, another birdie chance on the last turned into a frustrating three-putt and a first bogey of the round for the 32-year-old, meaning he had to settle for a share of the lead.
“It’s tough to swallow on the last hole,” said Henley.
DeChambeau also managed to wrestle back some control of Torrey Pines after a disappointing first-round showing.
The 27-year-old risked missing the cut when he slipped to four over early on, but the American turned things around with a welcome eagle on his ninth hole, the 18th.
DeChambeau finished off an up-and-down back nine with a birdie and said a moment of middle-of-the-night inspiration was partly responsible for the improved performance.
“It’s one of those things, I was sleeping and it came to me in the middle of the night,” he said, adding it was all about his swing.
“So I went out and tried it and it worked, just keeping the right wrist bent for a lot longer.”
Koepka’s performance was less palatable and he could be considered fortunate to have reached the halfway stage at level par after some lacklustre play saw him scrambling for par on several occasions.
Wolff had a quiet start to the day, before four birdies – his final one coming on the 18th – saw him shoot up the leaderboard, while Xander Schauffele, who has never finished outside the top six at the US Open, shot 71 to end the day two under.
Watson – whose last major title came at the 2014 Masters – was the leading American among the early starters, while former champion Jordan Spieth finished just inside the cut mark on four over thanks to a birdie on the 18th.
World number one Dustin Johnson suffered a bogey-ridden round and, despite regathering his composure towards the end, posted a 73 to slip to two over
By Becky Grey
The world number 115, playing in the event for only the second time, sits on five under alongside Russell Henley.
Late starter Henley led until a bogey on 18 at Torrey Pines saw him card a 70 to finish level with 48-year-old Bland.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau is level par after a 68, alongside two-time winner Brooks Koepka (73), with Rory McIlroy (73) on one over.
Bland lost his European Tour card two years ago, but fought back and won a first title on the circuit in his 478th event in May.
“I am very proud,” Bland – the oldest man to lead the US Open at the halfway stage – told Sky Sports.
“To lead a major is always pretty special. I tied the lead at The Open in 2017 for a hole, so it is nice to have it a bit longer than that.
“I want to give the gym-goers a run for their money,” added Bland, referring to the athletic young players who generally dominate the top of the game.
outh African Louis Oosthuizen, who was among 36 players who had to complete their first rounds on Friday morning after fog delayed Thursday’s play, followed a bogey-free 67 with a 71 that featured two late birdies to leave him one adrift of the leaders.
The late starters provided less excitement with increasingly firm greens making birdies difficult, but American Matthew Wolff, runner-up to DeChambeau at Winged Foot in last year’s US Open, shot a 68 to reach four under.
Earlier, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson’s 67 left him two off the pace on three under, alongside world number three Jon Rahm, who carded a 70.
Spaniard Rahm, who led the Memorial event on the PGA Tour earlier in June by six shots may is well placed to put that disappointment behind him – and on a much bigger stage.
San Diego native Phil Mickelson had a healthy fan following on the California course and there was plenty of noise as the left-hander – a six-time runner-up in the US Open, the only major he lacks – holed a birdie on the last to card a 69 and finish two shots inside the four-over cut mark.
Following his emotional British Masters victory, Bland said he found inspiration in Mickelson’s US PGA Championship win at the record age of 50 and while the American was ranked 115th in the world.
The Englishman, who turned professional in 1996, says he never considered another career despite the long wait for a first European Tour title.
“What am I going to do, go and get an office job?” he said.
“I’m not that intelligent, I’m afraid. The old saying is you get knocked down seven times, you get up eight. I’ve always had that kind of attitude that you just keep going.”
Bland started the day one under after two late bogeys blighted an otherwise impressive round on Thursday, but he marched ahead in round two.
The Staffordshire-born player looked buoyant after two birdies in the first four holes and continued the impressive showing in his fourth major with five more birdies and two bogeys as he made his first US Open cut with plenty to spare.
McIlroy once had his own US Open fairytale – when he won the title with a runaway victory aged just 22 – but the San Diego course became a bit of a battleground for the 32-year-old on Friday.
He was at one point two off the lead, but six bogeys left him in danger of missing the cut before the Northern Irishman ensured he got in for the weekend with two birdies – and his two over could provide a solid platform from which to attack.
England’s Lee Westwood is in similar position after a 72 left him on one over, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre shot a 73 to finish on two over.
Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick (75), Tommy Fleetwood (73) and Ian Poulter (71) ended Friday on three over.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland withdrew on nine over midway through his round because of an eye injury, while England’s Justin Rose, Dave Coupland, Matthew Southgate, Tyrrell Hatton and Marcus Armitage missed the cut, as did Scotland’s Martin Laird
Henley made eight pars in a row before finally finding a birdie on the ninth to draw level with Bland and he seemed likely to hold the overnight lead as he birdied the eighth to reach six under on his 17th hole.
However, another birdie chance on the last turned into a frustrating three-putt and a first bogey of the round for the 32-year-old, meaning he had to settle for a share of the lead.
“It’s tough to swallow on the last hole,” said Henley.
DeChambeau also managed to wrestle back some control of Torrey Pines after a disappointing first-round showing.
The 27-year-old risked missing the cut when he slipped to four over early on, but the American turned things around with a welcome eagle on his ninth hole, the 18th.
DeChambeau finished off an up-and-down back nine with a birdie and said a moment of middle-of-the-night inspiration was partly responsible for the improved performance.
“It’s one of those things, I was sleeping and it came to me in the middle of the night,” he said, adding it was all about his swing.
“So I went out and tried it and it worked, just keeping the right wrist bent for a lot longer.”
Koepka’s performance was less palatable and he could be considered fortunate to have reached the halfway stage at level par after some lacklustre play saw him scrambling for par on several occasions.
Wolff had a quiet start to the day, before four birdies – his final one coming on the 18th – saw him shoot up the leaderboard, while Xander Schauffele, who has never finished outside the top six at the US Open, shot 71 to end the day two under.
Watson – whose last major title came at the 2014 Masters – was the leading American among the early starters, while former champion Jordan Spieth finished just inside the cut mark on four over thanks to a birdie on the 18th.
World number one Dustin Johnson suffered a bogey-ridden round and, despite regathering his composure towards the end, posted a 73 to slip to two over
