Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Shane Lowry all put themselves within touching distance of the lead as the first round of the weather-interrupted US Open was completed at Oakmont Country Club.
With only nine players able to finish their opening rounds on Thursday and the entire second wave yet to tee-off on Friday morning, it was a case of playing catch-up on a glorious day on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.
First-round leader Andrew Landry played just a single shot on day two, a ten-foot putt to hand him a 66 and a four under total, the lowest opening round in US Open history at Oakmont.
Nobody could overturn the World Number 624 but he had an ominous chasing pack gathering behind him, with England's Westwood and big-hitting American Dustin Johnson just one shot behind.
Spaniard Garcia was playing alongside Johnson and he joined Lowry in carding a 68 alongside American Scott Piercy, who had tied Landry at the top of the leaderboard before bogeys on the 15th and 16th saw him fall back.
The heavy rain on Thursday and overnight had left the course playing the easiest it is likely to all week but only 11 players could get under par, with the sun drying the notoriously difficult Pennsylvania layout out for the weekend.
Garcia, Johnson, Piercy and the rest of the second wave from round one faced a quick turnaround to get back out and begin their second rounds, with the rest of the field due to begin theirs from 7.00am on Saturday morning.
Westwood has two top threes at the US Open and showed his class early in the day as he put his tee-shot to 12 feet on the huge par three eighth and then his approach to five feet on the ninth.
Johnson joined him at three under with the only bogey-free round of the day and the first at this event at Oakmont since Loren Roberts achieved the feat in 1994. He made gains on the sixth, 11th and 14th.
Irishman Lowry birdied the 14th after the resumption but then needed two clutch putts to save par before putting his approach to five feet on the 17th.
Garcia got off to a poor start as he bogeyed the second and then three-putted the third but he took advantage of the par five fourth and then rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on the sixth.
He put his approaches to the tenth and 11th inside ten feet for two further birdies and although he three-putted the 15th, he birdied the penultimate hole after driving the green.
"It wasn't a great start but I came back nicely after a couple of early bogeys," he said. "I played really solid after that. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots, made a couple of good putts and a couple of good up-and-downs when I needed it, and I'm very happy with the final result.
We've had a lot of rain, but the course is still challenging. It's not as brutal as it was so it gives you a bit more playability - Sergio Garcia
Henrik Stenson signed for a 69 with the help of an eagle on the fourth to sit alongside Americans Bubba Watson and Kevin Streelman, amateur Scottie Scheffler and New Zealander Danny Lee.
Scot Russell Knox signed for a 70 to sit at level par, a shot clear of French trio Grégory Bourdy, Gary Stal and Romain Wattel and Englishman Andy Sullivan.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth was then at two over alongside former champions Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose.
Masters Tournament winner Danny Willett was then at five over, two shots clear of 2011 champion Rory McIlroy.
