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Day 2 in Blaine

Keep that card

Brian Harman: After making a mess of things on Thursday, matching Dustin Johnson's 7-over score on holes 16-18 alone, Harman will stick around for the weekend. How? He bettered his score by 12 strokes. Six birdies and an eagle added up to a 64, and at 2 under he sneaked in on the number.

Toss that card

Keith Mitchell: Just as Golf Channel went on the air Friday, Mitchell chipped in from the thick rough surrounding the fifth green and nearly made an eagle one hole later. He got camera shy after that. Mitchell played the next 12 holes in 5-over par and missed the cut by a stroke.

Key hole

Par-4 11th, 467 yards: Leaders Michael Thompson and Richy Werenski each birdied the 11th hole Friday, Werenski rolling in a 31-foot bomb. But the rest of the field didn't fare as well. No. 11 scored as the toughest hole of the second round, playing at 4.257.

Chip shots

• 2011 Masters champion, Charl Schwartzel is tied for eighth place with rounds of 66 and 68 that come after four consecutive missed cuts. "It might seem like a surprise, but the last few weeks I felt like I've played well," he said. "I haven't been too good on the greens, and this week's changed."

• World No. 6 Brooks Koepka missed the cut by one shot while younger brother Chase will enter the weekend tied for 33rd in his first 3M Open start.

• Bubba Watson was one of seven players without a bogey in Round 1. On Friday, he made a triple bogey on No. 18 and missed the cut by a stroke.

• Russell Knox was one of four players to turn in a bogey-free round Friday, but he missed the cut.

• Defending champion Matthew Wolff, three shots off the lead, is seeking to become the first player to record his first two wins at same event since Daniel Berger (St. Jude Classic, 2016-17).

• Danny Lee celebrated his 30th birthday with a 3-under 68.

• Exactly 16 players shot even par both Thursday and Friday.

• Through two rounds, there have been as many eagles on No. 18 (nine) as on the entire front nine combined.

• Seung-Yul Noh and Chris Stroud withdrew during Round 2.

Quote of the day

"Growing up in Oklahoma helps on these types of days, so I kept the ball low and kept it in the fairway, hit a bunch of greens. The couple greens I missed were in the right place."

— Talor Gooch, who shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 in hot, gusty conditions Friday.

Tweet of the day

"Man, this is rough watching Brooks Koepka. Tigeresque bad body language. Feel bad for the guy. Strange.."

— @Eddie_Rado

Day 3

Sixty-eight players made the 36-hole cut and head into what is expected to be a hot and potentially stormy weekend. Golf Channel has coverage beginning at noon, with Ch. 4 picking up at 2 p.m.

Brian Stensaas