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Sepp Straka's iron play has been dialed in during the second round of the 2024 U.S. Open. So dialed, in fact, that the smooth-swinging Austrian made the first hole-in-one of the championship from 194 yards on the par-3 9th. Straka's ace at Pinehurst No. 2 marks the first of his PGA Tour career, and it couldn't have come at a better time as his name hovered near the projected cutline in the year's third major championship.

Catapulting himself to 2 over for the championship, Straka has found new life at the U.S. Open as he navigates the back nine at Pinehurst. Straka's name fell on the wrong side of the projected cutline early Friday because of his iron play. Striking the flag stick with his approach into the par-4 3rd, Straka received perhaps the worst break of the evet when his ball ricocheted off the pin and flew back into the greenside bunker.

Straka put a triple-bogey seven on the card and added a couple bogeys to continue in the wrong direction. Following a few nice pars, Straka cashed in big time on the par-3 9th to get back to 2 over. After opening his U.S. Open with an even-par 70, the 31-year-old appears likely to play himself into the weekend.