Caleb Manuel began the second round of the U.S. Open nearly 20 shots off the lead, and with no real hope of making the cut. But you wouldn’t have known that from the crowd that was following him at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

“For my first six holes, people were just screaming at me,” said the 20-year-old from Topsham. “Like, ‘Let’s go Caleb!’, just walking down the fairway. Yelling my name, ‘Let’s go Maine,’ ‘Let’s go UConn,’ ‘Let’s go Huskies,’ ‘Let’s go Caleb,’ ‘You’ve got it buddy, let’s go.’

“It was cool to have all that support.”

Manuel gave them something to cheer about. After a rocky first round 83, Manuel was more dialed in Friday. He shot 4-over 74, bringing his first U.S. Open to a close at 17-over par, but showed more command of his game and the Brookline course. After hitting only four greens in regulation Thursday, he hit 10 on Friday. After making no birdies in the first round, he made three in the second.

And one of Manuel’s takeaways from the round? He could have had more.

“Everyone says that, but (Thursday), hitting four greens, you’re not going to have any good looks,” he said. “(Friday), I probably had five or six legit chances for birdie that were within 15 feet.”

Manuel acknowledged feeling “defeated” after a double bogey on the 13th, his fourth hole of the day, and he hit a drive on the 14th that he considered one of his worst shots in years. That left him with a blind second shot, but he found the green with his 5-iron approach and made the 6-foot putt for his first birdie. He followed with another on the 17th, and then a final birdie on the fourth.

“It just kind of made me smile,” Manuel said. “Golf’s so funny. I hit my worst shot of the tournament and in a while, and I still made birdie. It kind of gave me confidence from there.”

Manuel played the last 14 holes at even par. He said there were nothing but positives to take away from the 36-hole experience.

“I didn’t expect to make the cut. It’s my first U.S. Open, hard golf course, big names, lot of pressure. But it’s good having that under my belt, like last year at the Korn Ferry (Tour event),” he said. “I’m going to know what to look for and how to react to certain things in the future, and hopefully play the weekend eventually.

“Even struggling (Thursday), I felt like I belonged out there.”

Manuel acknowledged feeling nerves for the first nine holes of the tournament, but changed his mindset.

“I play golf better when I’m having fun and soaking it all in, and I think the last 27 holes I did that,” he said. “I’m 20 years old, from Maine. It’s going to take a little bit. I’m ready for that, and I’m ready for the process of getting to the top.”

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