Fujita in the lead, Francona on the course and 2 holes-in-one at U.S. Senior Open in Newport

NEWPORT — Hiroyuki Fujita said his first round of the U.S. Senior Open was lucky.

The Japan native threw luck aside on his second day at Newport Country Club.

Fujita finished with a 4-under 66 on Friday and 11-under for the tournament to claim sole possession of first place at the cut. And for the second straight day, Steve Stricker shot a 66 to finish near the top of the leaderboard.

“Haven't seen this course in this wind before, and it was pretty steady wind right out of the chute for us today,” Stricker said. “It was a challenge; there are some holes that played a little bit easier. But some of the holes that played easy yesterday were difficult today.”

More: First round was welcoming to U.S. Senior Open players at Newport CC

More: Senior Open hosts Andrade and Quigley happy to show off Newport CC

Fujita birdied three of his first five holes, including Hole 13, which faces the wind. Newport’s 13 sits along the ocean, but Fujita landed right at the pin on the 241-yard par-3 and sank the short putt for birdie. The putt broke a tie with Stricker for first place at the time.

“It's a long ways to go,” Stricker said. “We're halfway, or at least I'm halfway done. There's a lot of golf left to be played. Who knows, I haven't looked at the conditions or the weather report going into the weekend. But I think that's going to be the story here.”

Richard Green, of Australia, is still neck-and-neck with Fujita and finished 10-under for the tournament, one behind Fujita.

Tee times and groupings for Saturday’s third round have been adjusted due to anticipated heavy fog to start the morning. Golfers will play again in threesomes starting from the first and 10th tees on Saturday. The United States Golf Association usually plays in twosomes in the final rounds.

“Whatever I hit yesterday, I just hit the opposite club today,” Stricker said. “Just playing a totally different wind.”

Terry Francona on site

U.S. Senior Open honorary chair, Terry Francona, could be seen on Friday.

The two-time World Series-winning manager of the Boston Red Sox was following close friend Billy Andrade’s second round at Newport Country Club.

Francona is an avid golf fan and has rooted for Andrade since it was announced he was going to be the honorary guest.

“I'm going to try to, how do you say it, not steal a cart, get a cart and go watch Billy Andrade play some golf,” Francona said. “I don't know if I'm supposed to be rooting for people this week, but [Andrade] and I have become really good friends.”

After Andrade hit a 6-under 64 on Thursday, the Bristol native followed with a Day 2 score of 74 to finish 2-under to make Friday’s cut.

“I know how much it would mean to [Andrade], but I am guessing it would be just about as much to the people in this area,” Francona said of his friend’s chance to win the tournament. “That would be really cool.”

Bensel does the unthinkable

Frank Bensel was in the first group on Friday morning and the Floridian began Day 2 with an immaculate start.

Starting on the front 9, Bensel sank a hole-in-one on the fourth hole, a par-3, 184-yard shot. The 56-year-old then repeated the feat on No. 5, a 203-yard hole, for back-to-back aces.

It was the first consecutive holes-in-one in USGA history.

“I've played a lot of golf in my life, and just to see a hole-in-one in a tournament is pretty rare,” Bensel said. “For me to have that, it was great. I'm out here trying to play well and make the cut, and at the time, it was pretty important for me to do that.

“The first one was great, so that got me under par for the day. And then the second one, I just couldn't believe it. To even think that that could happen was amazing.”

Bensel was accompanied by his son and caddie, Hagen Bensel. The 14-year-old Bensel is still learning the game, but comes from a deep golf family and was named after Walter Hagen. Hagen called for the 7-iron on Hole 4, but his father decided on a 6-iron and it paid off.

“We love spending time together, and we both love golf a lot,” Frank Bensel said. “He's a great caddie. It's the best.”

Bensel didn’t make Friday’s cut, but he leaves Newport with a career highlight.

“Anytime you play in a major tournament, it's great,” Bensel said. “This will be remembered obviously forever and ever. This could be the highlight.”

jrousseau@providencejournal.com

On X: @ByJacobRousseau

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Hiroyuki Fujita holds the lead after cut-down day of U.S. Senior Open