 | US OPEN LEADERBOARD US unless stated
-2 Olin Browne, Retief Goosen (SA), Jason Gore
-1 KJ Choi (Kor), Mark Hensby (Aus)
Even Michael Campbell (NZ), Vijay Singh (Fij), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Lee Westwood (Eng) |
Retief Goosen, Olin Browne and Jason Gore share the lead after two punishing rounds of the US Open at Pinehurst. The trio are on two under par, one clear of KJ Choi and Mark Hensby, the only other players in red numbers.
On level par are Lee Westwood, Michael Campbell, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh - six better than Phil Mickelson, and seven better than Ernie Els.
Tiger Woods is three shots off the lead after a mixed bag of a round, and Luke Donald is one shot further back.
Goosen, bidding to become the first players since Curtis Strange in 1989 to defend a US Open crown, said he was relishing Pinehurst's challenge.
"I seem to like the tougher golf courses," said the South African.
"I don't know what it is about the US Open but you need to be strong. I've got the experience.
"I've got a chance on the weekend and I have a chance of winning it again."
|  I'd take two 70s from here and that should win by a couple |
The afternoon saw some remarkable swings of fortune as first Browne, then Goosen and then David Toms all looked like building significant leads.
In fact, Pinehurst's No. 2 was the winner on a day that saw only 14 players beat par.
The 46-year-old Browne looked to be in control when two birdies after the turn took him to four under and a two-shot lead.
But his progress came to a crashing halt at the short sixth, his 15th.
Having found sand with his tee shot, he then hit his next shot into the bunker on the other side of the green before crossing the putting surface once more with his third.
The American finally found the green with his fourth shot and holed a brave 25-footer for double bogey.
This left Goosen, attempting to become only the third player since 1945 to defend his title, on his own in front.
But the 36-year-old South African then experienced his own Pinehurst hard-luck story as seemingly good approaches to the fifth and seventh - his 14th and 16th holes - rolled off the greens into tricky lies.
Bogeys followed both times and this left 2001 USPGA Toms in front on three under after three birdies in four holes.
But the American imploded down the stretch - finishing double-bogey, triple-bogey - to slide back to two over par.
While all this was happening, the likes of Choi, Hensby, Westwood - who missed a short birdie putt at the last to go to one under - and Woods were finding ways to climb back into contention.
| I'm more frustrated than anything else |
And Gore was compiling a remarkable 67 that had every player around the projected cut of eight over glued to their television screens.
By the time the little-known American had finished, 83 players had booked their places for the weekend.
Watching all this were the morning starters, the pick of whom were Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh and Michael Campbell.
Garcia and Campbell both carded one-under 69s to reach level par, while world number two Singh fired a second 70.
"It was just a good solid round," said Garcia. "I hit a good amount of greens but I'm just a little bit disappointed about two missed putts on 15 and three.
"I'd take two 70s from here and that should win by a couple."
World number two Singh surged to two under by the 13th.
But back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16 and a missed birdie putt at 18 amounted to 35 putts for the round and kept him three behind.
"I'm more frustrated than anything else," said Singh.
"I drove the ball better than yesterday and I hit a lot of good iron shots. The greens were receptive but the putts wouldn't drop."
One shot behind them on one over - the same score as Woods - are the talented Australian Adam Scott and 2003 champion Jim Furyk. Mickelson had a miserable morning as he ran up a 77 - his worst round at the US Open since his debut in 1992.
The American left-hander started at the 10th and dropped six shots in his first nine holes to reach the turn in six-over 41.
Sweden's Peter Hedblom, a qualifier from Walton Heath earlier this month, fired a four-under 66 to set a new US Open record at Pinehurst.
Hedblom climbed to three over overall after five birdies and one bogey.
"I felt it was playing a lot easier than yesterday," he said. "The greens were a little softer and you could be a bit more aggressive.
"It's amazing - sometimes you don't feel that good and then you shoot a 66."
MMIX
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