Three-Way Tie for the Lead at the Halfway Point at Pinehurst

The defending U.S. Open champion sits atop the leaderboard at Pinehurst with his sights set on a third victory in this prestigious tournament. That isn’t the surprise at the halfway point. Retief Goosen finds himself in a tie for the lead with Olin Browne and Jason Gore. Browne, who had to shoot a 59 in qualifying to even make it this far, shot a steady 71 on Friday to maintain a shot at winning the 105th U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Gore, on the other hand, has had mild success on the Nationwide Tour (three wins) but has never been in a situation quite like this.

Jason Gore finds himself just 36 holes away from possibly winning one of the greatest golf tournaments in the world. He shot a lights-out round of 67 on Friday that included five birdies to only two bogeys. Goosen, who always seems to bring his best game to the U.S. Open, actually held the lead on his own before struggling late in his round. He still managed to shoot an even-par 70 on “cut day” and sits in a very familiar position. The South African won the U.S. Open in 2001 and 2004. With a win this week, he will move into very rare company with three U.S. Open victories.

These three players may be in the lead after two rounds, but the tournament is far from over. And there are many more great golfers chasing them. Names like Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods, and Jim Furyk all find themselves in the top ten and within three shots of the lead. Singh went out early and shot his second straight round of 70. He had it going early but finished poorly to stay at even for the tournament. Sergio shot 69, Tiger shot 71, and Furyk shot 70 in their second rounds to stay near even par as well. Adam Scott, who I picked to win this tournament earlier in the week, shot a 71 to finish at +1 overall. He is definitely in great position to make a move and still win the golf tournament.

K.J. Choi and Mark Hensby round out the top five on the leaderboard and both are currently at -1 going into the weekend. Hensby made the big move, shooting a 68 to move his way up the leaderboard. Other golfers that are at even par and still in striking distance include Michael Campbell and Lee Westwood. First round co-leader Rocco Mediate had a tougher day on the course. He shot a 4-over-par 74 and finds himself in a tie for tenth along with the other big names.

I have already mentioned three members of the “Big Five.” This of course leaves two more, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson. Friday wasn’t near as kind to these two as it was to the other three. Mickelson got out early in the morning when conditions seemed to be favorable. However, “Lefty” definitely didn’t take advantage of them. His struggled all day with the putter as he limped to an awful 77. Mickelson still made the cut, but he will need something very special on the weekend to contend this time at Pinehurst. He is currently eight shots off the lead. Els followed his opening-round 71 up with a devastating 76 on Friday. The “Big Easy” carded seven bogeys and only one birdie. Like Mickelson, Els still made the cut, but he will have to work very hard to finish in a respectable position.

There are a couple other big names that are within fives shots of the lead. On this course, one of these players could shoot something in the high 60s on “moving day” and be right back in the hunt. The two most notable golfers in this group are David Toms and Luke Donald. Toms was in a tie for the lead at -3 throughout different parts of the day, but he stumbled late in the round to finish at +2. Toms finished up with a double bogey on the eighth hole and a triple bogey on the ninth hole. Donald finished his opening round at -1 but shot a 74 on Friday to slip back to +2 overall. These two are still in a tie for 17th and well within striking distance.

Friday was “cut-day” as usual, and it wasn’t very pleasant for some of the world’s top golfers. Chris DiMarco shot a horrendous 82 on Friday to completely throw his hopes of winning this tournament away. Many people had picked him as their sentimental pick this week, but that was quickly ended as he completely fell apart in the second round. Other notables that won’t be playing at Pinehurst this weekend include Stuart Appleby, Scott Verplank, and Tom Lehman. On a more positive note, some of the PGA’s most notable names made the cut right around the number. Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, and Mike Weir all made the cut with one shot to spare. The sensational amateur Ryan Moore made the cut right on the number (+8).

As in most U.S. Open tournaments, the course seems to get as much attention as most of the players. This is no exception this week either. Pinehurst #2 is definitely playing very tough, but it is also playing very fair according to most golfers. The stroke average for the opening round was 74-plus. That average decreased slightly on Friday to a little over 73. The leaders are currently sitting at -2, and the score definitely won’t get much better than that. The players are going to have to grind it out on the weekend, as Pinehurst surely won’t be getting any easier.

There are some big names on the first page of the leaderboard, and there are some long shots as well. That is what the U.S. Open golf tournament has always been about. The action should be awesome on the weekend as it has been the first two days. The weather shouldn’t be a problem for the third round. The highs will be in the 80s, and it will be fairly humid. The forecast for Sunday is calling for thunderstorms, so the finish may be misty as it was in 1999. Let’s hope the weather stays clear and gives the greatest golfers in the world the chance to finish the tournament on Father’s Day.

The U.S. Open can be seen on both Saturday and Sunday on NBC. The action will be televised from 12:30-7:00pm ET on both days. Here is a look at the leaderboard after two rounds at the 105th U.S. Open:

Pos  Player             Tot    R1    R2    
T1   Olin Browne        -2    67    71    
T1   Retief Goosen      -2    68    70    
T1   Jason Gore         -2    71    67    
T4   K.J. Choi          -1    69    70    
T4   Mark Hensby        -1    71    68    
T6   Michael Campbell    E    71    69    
T6   Vijay Singh         E    70    70    
T6   Sergio Garcia       E    71    69
T6   Lee Westwood        E    68    72
T10  Brandt Jobe        +1    68    73
T10  Jim Furyk          +1    71    70
T10  Adam Scott         +1    70    71
T10  Tiger Woods        +1    70    71
T10  Rocco Mediate      +1    67    74
T10  Steve Allan        +1    72    69
T10  Keiichiro Fukabori +1    74    67

Photo Credit: © Ann Heisenfelt, AP.