The first two days of the U. S. Open at Olympic Club are history. Spectators learned or relearned a few things along the way. First, world ranking means very little on a twisty, undulating shorter course groomed to challenge even the very best. With ultra-difficult conditions, the par-70 Lake course presented psychological warfare to the field. Number one ranked world golfer Luke Donald missed the cut by 3 shots, and number three ranked Rory McIlroy missed by 2.
Other big names that crumpled under the pressure and conditions included Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson, Carl Pettersson, Y.E. Yang, and Dustin Johnson (all at 149, one shot too many), Geoff Ogilvy and Ben Crane (150), Stewart Cink and D.A. Points (152), and Vijay Singh (153).
Second, surly curmudgeon Johnny Miller remains the best television analyst in golf. The special bonus this week is that he knows Olympic Club like the back of his hand, having been a junior member of the establishment back in the 1960's.
Third, a few cinderella stories were dashed on the rocks of the Pacific coastline. Casey Martin, the Oregon golf coach who made headlines 14 years ago in taking the tour to court to make riding a cart permissible due to his withered right leg, qualified and missed the cut by one shot. The 14-year-old phenom Andy Zhang had respectable scores in the 70's, but missed the cut by 8 shots. Club pro Dennis Miller, he of the magical last-hole delayed putt-drop in qualifying, whiffed with a 162, 14 shots above the cutoff.
Fourth, spectators learned that Tiger is almost all the way back. Even if he folds during weekend play, Mr. Woods proved his critics wrong by out-dueling Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson in Thursday and Friday's most popular threesome. At the halfway mark, Tiger is tied for the lead at one under par. While he missed a few drives, chips, and putts, he did nothing as horrible as Mickelson, who lost a ball in a tree on the very first hole he played Thursday.
Fifth, viewers learned that Tiger isn't the only arrogant golfer on the tour. The boneheaded overconfidence award belongs to Watson, who came to Olympic unprepared, claiming only golfers who couldn't hit it long needed a 3 wood. Have a nice trip home, Bubba.
Tiger kept his arrogance in check and his composure, as did co-leaders Jim Furyk and David Toms. Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson regained their composure on Friday, making the cut and remaining in the hunt. As a matter of fact, all 72 golfers who made weekend play remain in the hunt, with the cut-off only 9 shots behind the leaders.
Other golfers with potential Sunday charges in reserve include Nicolas Colsaerts and Graeme McDowell at 141, two off the pace; Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, and Charl Schwartzel at 143; Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, and Justin Rose at 144; and Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter at 145. Don't exclude Mickelson, Adam Scott, or Zach Johnson from the conversation, either, although they will really need spectacular Saturdays to make a viable run on Sunday.
A few cinderella stories remain. Seldom-considered 27-year-old pro Michael Thompson had a three-shot lead after Thursday, and is only two shots back as Saturday play begins. Seventeen-year-old amateur Beau Hossler, who briefly held the lead on Friday, hovers only 4 shots behind. Charlie Wi, a local favorite who played his college golf at Cal across the bay, is 5 shots back, as is the ever-popular Sergio Garcia, whose most popular shot on Friday was a strike at the television microphone left at ground level beside a tee box. Will Sergio remain one of the best golfers to never win a major?
Predictions? Four amateurs survived the cut, but Patrick Cantlay should emerge as the low amateur when the dust settles on Sunday. There will be more major blowups and more triple bogies for major names. If the course holds true (meaning hard and fast), the winning score will be over par. There will be more lead changes this weekend than there were lead changes at Indy last month. Finally, expect another big name to challenge Tiger in toe-to-toe competition on Sunday, and don't expect it to be an American.
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