Tiger Woods watched his 7-foot birdie putt disappear into the 13th hole and gave a slight fist pump as the swelling crowd roared around him.
It wasn’t the grandiose Tiger of old, but it’s looking pretty close after two rugged rounds at the U.S. Open.
Woods positioned himself well for a run at a 15th major championship this weekend, plodding along to an even-par 70 on Friday at the sun-drenched Olympic Club in San Francisco.
His gallery was large, his play was lackluster but sharp – save for three straight bogeys on Nos. 5-7 – and his confidence was high after he was tied for first at 1-under for the tournament with Jim Furyk and David Toms. Woods capped his round with a par putt on No. 18 that drew a standing ovation.
“This golf course is just so tricky out there,” he said when asked if it was the toughest even-par round he has had. “It’s so fast. … The wind was swirling a little bit out there. It was tough. It was really, really tough. Just had to stay as patient as possible, and I did a really good job of that today.”
Woods has won eight of the nine majors he has led through 36 holes.
“I think I’m in a good spot,” he said. “Right now, I’m I think tied for the lead. … Much rather be there than missing cuts or just making the cut. So it’s a wonderful place to be with a chance to win your nation’s Open.”
For a while, it looked like a 17-year-old would be the one to tame the 7,170-yard Lake Course. Beau Hossler, the second-youngest player in the field, led several times, captivating his audience with a simple mix of steady drives and well-placed approach shots. While players twice his age foundered, the incoming senior at Santa Margarita High School-Mission Viejo climbed into title contention with a 1-under front nine that included a birdie on the par-5 17th. Hossler made a short putt for birdie on the first hole but then tailed off to a 3-over finish.
“I am really glad with how I played the last couple days, but I got a long way to go,” said Hossler, who hit into the sticks and doubled the fourth, followed by back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 5-6. “There’s some things I really got to tighten up for the next couple days because I know the course is going to get harder. I feel like I’m in a good spot for me to reach my goal of low amateur.”
Hossler wasn’t intimidated by playing on the big stage.
“I just felt pretty comfortable out there,” he said. “Pretty nervous starting the round … just like any other event.”
Furyk quietly climbed the leader board, collecting birdies on the par-3 15th and third holes.
“That’s pretty much what you need to do,” he said. “It’s get the ball … on the green or in a playable spot as best you can.”
Toms answered with a 7-foot birdie putt on the 11th, and a 10-footer for a two on the par-3 13th.
“You really have to manage your game around this golf course – that’s the bottom line,” said Toms, who seemed to hit more greens from the rough than from the fairway. “I think that’s what major champions do.”
Woods, Furyk and Toms are no strangers to leading at the Open – all three have won it. Woods and Furyk will likely be paired together for Friday.
Michael Thompson, the first-round leader, fell off at 7-over, unable to rekindle his 4-under magic from Thursday.
“Yesterday was an unbelievable round, and [I] didn’t expect to go out and do the same thing,” Thompson said. “Just go out and survive – I felt like I did that. I didn’t give up.”
With the exception of Woods, the marquee threesome continued to disappoint, as Phil Mickelson made the cut (8-over) by one stroke with a 71, and Bubba Watson bowed out and 9-over, undercut by a disastrous opening-round 78.
Among the notables who did not advance were Rory McIlroy, the defending champion; and Luke Donald, the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink, 14-year-old Andy Zhang and crowd favorite Casey Martin.
Mickelson finished strong with a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18, but he mostly struggled on the greens.
“I barely made the cut. My goal was to shoot under par,” he said. “I had multiple chances, and I was fractionally off on the greens. I just didn’t make any until the last putt.”
