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Mickelson Grabs Share of US Open Lead
English Trio Out to End US Open Drought
Patience Makes Perfect for Horschel
Taiwan Amateur in Contention at US Open
Scott on the Cut Line at US Open
Tiger and Rory Happy to Grind at US Open
Mickelson Grabs Share of US Open Lead
ARDMORE, June 15, 2013 (AFP) - Battling to finally win his first US Open after five runner-up finishes, Phil Mickelson sank a 25-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole Friday to grab a share of the second-round lead.
The dramatic putt from the edge of the green in the gloom of twilight rolled straight into the middle of the cup to complete a two-over par 72 second round that left the US left-hander on one-under 139 for 36 holes at Merion Golf Club.
"It was a nice way to finish. I fought hard all day, let a lot of birdie opportunities slide early and in the middle of the round. I fought hard to stay in there and hit a lot of good quality shots. Made a bunch of good pars."
Mickelson, who turns 43 on Sunday, was level in the clubhouse with fellow American Billy Horschel, who missed the cut at the 2006 US Open in his only prior major. But Mickelson felt he should have done more with the round.
"It was the birdie opportunities that I didn't capitalize on," he said. "Had I made one, I would have changed the momentum of the round. I played well even though I didn't feel the score was what I thought it should be."
Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion who won another major at the 2005 PGA Championship, finished second at the US Open in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2009 but appeared primed to charge at the title that has so long eluded him.
"It's fun having a chance heading into the weekend," he said. "The way I have control off the tee and as good as the putter is, even though it didn't show today, I'm very excited about the opportunity this weekend."
Horschel, who also birdied 18, fired a 67, the day's low round when darkness halted play with 68 golfers still on the course needing to finish round two on Saturday, a result of Thursday storms that halted play more than four hours.
Mickelson opened with a bogey then followed with 10 pars before missing a three-foot par putt at the 12th and finding a bunker to set up a bogey at 13.
Mickelson grinded out four more pars before sinking his lone birdie to match Horschel, who became the first player to hit all 18 greens in regulation in a round at a US Open since the statistic was first compiled in 1992.
Horschel, who won his first PGA title two months ago in New Orleans, birdied the par-5 second and par-4 10th and 11th holes. He took his lone bogey at the par-3 13th but closed with a birdie.
"Everything seems good," he said. "I've just got to stay patient and keep committing and executing every shot and I'll be OK on Sunday.
Sharing third on level par 140 in the clubhouse were England's Luke Donald and Justin Rose and 46-year-old American Steve Stricker, whose best result in a major was a runner-up spot to Fiji's Vijay Singh at the 1998 PGA Championship.
Rose and Stricker each fired 69s, both just finishing before play was halted by darkness, while Donald shot 72.
"It's fantastic (to be a contender) -- that's the job of the first two rounds, to get yourself in striking distance," Rose said.
All three had to finish parts of their first round on Friday morning as well, so Rose finishing before dark was crucial, avoiding an early morning return to play one hole then having to wait until afternoon for round three.
"That was huge. That lying in in the morning is going to feel very good," Rose said. "I think it could be worth shots tomorrow, there's no doubt. It's very difficult to go back to bed and then get up and feel kind of energetic."
Also on level par but yet to finish their second rounds were England's Ian Poulter, who had four holes remaining, and Taiwan amateur Pan Cheng-Tsung, who birdied the second and fifth holes but must finish the back nine when play resumes at 7:15 a.m. (1115 GMT) Saturday morning.
"I'm really happy with my performance," Pan said. "I'm two-under (for the round). I think that's a good score for me and I'm very satisfied. And I still have 45 holes to go. I've got lots of work to do and I need to finish it."
World number one Woods, a 14-time major champion seeking his first major title since the 2008 US Open, fired a second-round 70 to finish 36 holes on 143, only four back of Mickelson and Horschel.
Joining him in the clubhouse in a share of 17th were second-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, reigning British Open champion Ernie Els of South Africa, American Matt Bettencourt and Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.
"I just made a couple of mistakes out there today but I really played well," Woods said. "Maybe I could have gotten one or two more out of it, but it was a pretty good day."
Woods, who seeks a record-tying fourth US Open triumph but has never won a title when over-par for 36 holes, said his left arm hurts, an injury suffered in winning last month's PGA Players Championship that he aggravated Thursday blasting out of deep rough.
English Trio Out to End US Open Drought
ARDMORE, June 15, 2013 (AFP) - Hopes of a first English win at the US Open since Tony Jacklin 43 years ago were rising on Friday with Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter all in contention at Merion Golf Club.
Rose (69) and Donald (72) both finished the day on level par, just one stroke back from joint leaders Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel of the United States.
Poulter had yet to finish his second round, but he too was on level par with four holes to go.
Along with Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, the three close friends have long been regarded as a golden generation of English golfers, but for the moment their haul of major titles amounts to an embarrassing zero.
Rose said that he had taken some inspiration from the win of fellow 32-year-old Australian Adam Scott at the Masters in April.
"I seem to be a year or two behind Adam. But I don't mind that," he said.
"I feel that I'm capable of a good week and a big week," he said. "And I feel like I'm capable of winning these tournaments now.
"I'm not going to get ahead of myself one little bit though. I think that's part of learning your trade, not get past Friday night. Deep down I believe I can."
Donald, three years older at 35, has put himself in contention at the halfway stage of a US Open for the first time in what is his 10th campaign.
He even led the field at one stage in Friday's second round at four under, but had a horror stretch of five bogeys in six holes from the second, on what was his back nine.
A birdie at the par-three ninth to finish got him back to level par and set him up nicely for a crack at a long overdue first major crown at the weekend.
Donald bemoaned his play at the course's two par-fives, which oddly come at the course's second and fourth holes.
"But you try not to panic in US Opens -- you try to take each hole as it comes," he said. "It was nice to make a birdie on nine."
Known for his superb short-game skills, Donald was favored by many to win at Merion this week given the course's premium on accurate wedge play and pinpoint putting.
Having avoided a recent tendency to get off to slow starts in majors, he feels that he will have a chance to break his duck at the weekend.
"I'm excited to be in contention, and I have a chance," he said.
"Obviously I haven't played very well (at US Opens), but when I saw this place last week, I thought it was a good fit for my game.
"And obviously it's nice to come here and feel like I'm swinging pretty well and I've got a chance. So hopefully I can throw a good one in tomorrow and really be in the mix come Sunday."
Poulter, the oldest of the three at 37, was putting together a fine round when he ran out of light at the 15th, with birdies at eight and 13 against a bogey at the fifth.
"Time to eat and shut it down, great days works nearly half way thru this US Open, I have a 20ft putt on 15 left to right," he said on his Twitter site.
Patience Makes Perfect for Horschel
ARDMORE, June 14, 2013 (AFP) - Patience was never Billy Horschel's virtue, but with some maturing and work with a psychologist, he now finds himself among the leaders at the US Open, where patience is crucial.
The 26-year-old American, who missed the cut at the 2006 US Open in his only prior major start, fired a three-under 67 on Friday to seize the clubhouse lead at the 113th US Open at Merion on one-under 139 for 36 holes.
"Patience is something that has always been a struggle for me," Horschel said. "I'm doing a really good job of it this week, staying patient and just taking what's in front of me.
"If I do have a stretch of bad holes, it's not that I don't hit the panic button. I just don't press right away."
That philosophy has made this a breakthrough season for Horschel, who shared second at the Houston Open and third at the Texas Open before winning his first US PGA Tour title at New Orleans in April.
"I've acquired some patience, not as much as I wish I had, but I just think the older I get, the more mature I get on the golf course, the more understanding I have," Horschel said.
"You're going to have a couple of bad holes but if you get in a flow you can sort of get something going. The older I get, the more I can understand that I don't have to get off to a hot start.
"I don't have as much patience as a lot of guys out here, but I've grown week in and week out.
"No matter how bad I hit it or how bad my short game is or how bad I'm putting during the practice round days, once I get to Thursday I flip a switch and find some way to play well."
With US Open courses arranged to test a player's patience, his willingness not to shoot at pins or to take pars and move on, Horschel would figure to be at a disadvantage on a layout where every errant shot carries a punishment.
But Horschel on Friday became the first US Open golfer to hit every green in regulation since the statistic originated in 1992.
"Everything seems good," Horschel said. "I've just got to stay patient. If I can execute every shot, that's all I can try to do."
Some of the credit for Horschel's success goes to Fran Pirozzolo, his sport psychologist for the past year.
"In the past, I've felt more comfortable coming from behind," Horschel said. "But with Fran in the picture, I'm more comfortable with being in the lead or near the lead going into the weekend.
"It's just all about limiting distractions and not thinking about scenarios, what happens if I win or anything. It's just focusing on what I do best and that's playing golf."
Taiwan Amateur in Contention at US Open
ARDMORE, June 15, 2013 (AFP) - Pan Cheng-Tsung, a 21-year-old amateur golfer from Taiwan, has played his way into contention at the US Open, snagging a share of third place halfway into his darkness-halted second round.
Pan finished off a two-over par 72 opening round on Friday, a day after storms halted play at Merion for more than four hours, then went two-under par for nine holes of his second round to stand on level par for the tournament.
"I feel good. I played great this afternoon," Pan said. "I didn't hit my driver well. But I ground it out just trying to make par and make tons of par putts, which are really important for me. That makes all the difference."
The University of Washington standout, who in 2007 at age 15 became the youngest US Amateur quarter-finalist since icon Bobby Jones, qualified for the Open by taking the last of two spots on offer in a sectional near his college.
With birdies Friday afternoon on the par-5 second and par-4 fifth, the 2006 Asian Games silver medalist proved he was no flash in the pan.
"I'm really happy with my performance," Pan said. "I'm not saying I'm good enough, but I love this kind of feeling and the competition is great."
Four-time major champion Phil Mickelson and fellow American Billy Horschel shared the clubhouse lead at one-under 139 after 36 holes with England's Justin Rose and Luke Donald and American Steve Stricker one stroke back on par 140.
Pan and England's Ian Poulter were on the course but even with the level par group, heady territory for a player who moved from his homeland to the United States in 2007 to pursue a golf career and says he does not feel extra pressure playing among the greats.
"I'm very excited to see my name on the leaderboard," Pan said. "The reason I don't feel pressure is because the holes are hard and I just try every shot hard.
"It's still early in the tournament. I've got 45 holes to go. Just seeing my name on the scoreboard, that's all I'm trying to do."
It's a success Pan never imagined when he qualified for the Open a second time after missing the cut in 2011.
"A lot of great players here," he said. "I was just trying to do my job, trying to be a good player. This course is good for me because it's not really long. It's narrow and accuracy is my strong point, which helps me a lot."
Even so, US Opens produce the toughest conditions in golf with dense rough and fast greens, forcing a maturity and patience beyond the years of most collegians.
"I knew it was going to be tough with the wind picking up. I just told myself to be patient," Pan said.
"I just try to remind myself to try to hit a good shot each time, even if I made a bogey, to just forget it and then continue, because sometimes a bogey is not bad."
Scott on the Cut Line at US Open
ARDMORE, June 14, 2013 (AFP) - Masters champion Adam Scott was facing an agonizing wait overnight Friday to find out if he would make the cut at the US Open.
The Australian hero struggled with his putting in Friday's second round at punishing Merion Golf Club and he ended the day with a 75 to stand at seven over for the tournament.
The axe was forecast to fall at either plus six or plus seven, depending on how the late finishers in the second round fare on Saturday morning, over four hours of play having been lost to bad weather on Thursday.
Scott, whose playoff win in the Masters in April was the first by an Australian at Augusta National after a long and heartbreaking run of second-place finishes, had started his second round late Thursday.
But when he and playing partners Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy came back out at 7:15 on Friday morning they found conditions to be decidely colder.
"I was a little disappointed with the way I played today," he admitted.
"I just lost my rhythm early this morning when it was a bit cold and windy and just fought with it all day long and the putter kind of cooled off. So I would have liked to make some putts and then you're always happy."
Still, Scott was not ruling himself out of contention for back-to-back major wins, provided he could duck under the cut and make it through to the weekend.
"I still see those, you know, four or five unders possible," he said.
"It's difficult, but it's still possible with it soft. You just have to hit every shot perfect. And for one day, I mean, it is doable.
"So someone who just makes the cut could have a great round Saturday and move their way back into the tournament. I don't see that beyond the realm of possibility. It's out there, for sure."
With or without Scott, there will be a strong Australian presence at the weekend in the bid to become the first Australian to win the US Open since David Graham did so at Merion in 1981.
John Senden and Mathew Goggin were both placed well up the leaderboard with 42-year-old Senden feeling that his game is suited to Merion and to US Open courses in general.
"It demands good ball-striking, I think, and good putting," he said after adding a 71 to his opening effort of 70.
"I like hitting the long irons well. There's a lot of long irons off the tee and a lot of long irons into the greens. So if I play my game and hit them well, hopefully I'll do well.
"And the same thing last year at Olympic. It probably didn't measure that long, but it was a lot of long second shots, and the par 3s are long there.
"The same sort of deal. I think this golf course is similar."
Goggin had to play an exhausting 30 holes Friday but still managed a 74 to go with his opening round of 68.
It had been a gruelling effort he admitted on a relentlessly tough golf course.
"The only thing harder than 30 holes of US Open golf on one day is 31 holes," he said.
"This is hard. Mentally it's very difficult. Any bad tee shot and you're just grinding trying to make a par. You just keep the ball in play."
Asked what he hoped for on Saturday, the Tasmanian replied: "Not having to play as many holes!"
Tiger and Rory Happy to Grind at US Open
ARDMORE, June 14, 2013 (AFP) - Under ordinary circumstances three-over par 73s for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy would not be a reason for celebration.
But under the peculiar circumstances at Merion Golf Club this week where the US Open is being staged, the world's two top golfers were more than happy to settle for that score in the second round.
For one thing, it kept both of them handily placed for the challenge ahead at the weekend when Woods will be going for a 15th major and McIlroy a third.
But it also saw them avoid the fates of such former major winners as Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and Zach Johnson, who, playing together, reached the halfway stage at a cumulative 23-over par.
Woods and McIlroy chatted amicably and joked after their round, which was more than could be said for the third member of their grouping, Masters champion Adam Scott, who struggled to a 75 and a seven-over 147 total.
Asked if he fancied his chances for the weekend, Woods shot back, "Yes.
"I played well. I just made a couple of mistakes out there today, but I really played well. Maybe I could have gotten one or two more out of it, but it was a pretty good day."
Asked about his left arm injury, Woods said he had picked it up while playing in last month's US PGA Players Championship.
Was the injury getting worse under the strain of Merion's thick rough? Woods would only say: "Well, it is what it is."
McIlroy, who carded identical scores to Woods in the first two rounds of 73-70, said that he would head off into the weekend full of confidence.
"I'm very happy. Right in there for the weekend. I don't think I'll be too far away by the end of the day," he said. "I mean, in a nice position going into the last two days."
The Ulsterman famously won his first major title at the 2011 US Open at Congressional, when he set a record winning score of 16-under par.
That would not be a score that would be on his mind at the weekend, he said.
"At the end of the day, there's going to be a guy lifting the trophy at the end of the week. It doesn't matter if he's plus five, minus five, plus 16."
Down in the disaster zone, 2010 US Open champion McDowell headed home at least with the consolation that before the tournament started he was one of the few who warned that, short though it may be at 6,996 yards, Merion punched above its weight.
That was what US Open golf was all about, said the Ulsterman, who followed an opening 76 with a 77.
"I'll shake it off and I'll get ready for the Open Championship in a few weeks time," he said. "That's my next target, The Irish Open and the French Open before that.
"I'll be competitively sharp going into Muirfield and I'll continue to draw on this season."
There were complaints from some players destined to miss the cut that Friday's pin placements bordered on the infernal on the part of the US Golf Association.
But 2003 US Open champion Furyk said he would head for home with no regrets.
"It's a wonderful old golf course," he said.
"It goes to show you. My favorite course that we play regularly on the PGA Tour is Hilton Head and it's right there around 7,000 (yards) as well and our scores aren't overly low there, if the wind blows a little bit, just like here.
"So I think it's a testament to a golf course that it doesn't have to be 7,800 yards to be a great golf course and Merion will always stand the test of time."
Collated second round scores on Saturday at the 113th US Open golf championship at 6,996-yard, par-70 Merion Golf Club:
(68 players unable to complete second round due to nightfall)
139 - Billy Horschel (USA) 72-67, Phil Mickelson (USA) 67-72
140 - Luke Donald (ENG) 68-72, Steve Stricker (USA) 71-69, Justin Rose (ENG) 71-69
141 - John Senden (AUS) 70-71, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 69-72
142 - Mathew Goggin (AUS) 68-74
143 - Tiger Woods (USA) 73-70, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 73-70, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP) 71-72, Ernie Els (RSA) 71-72, Matt Bettencourt (USA) 72-71
144 - Geoff Ogilvie (AUS) 74-70, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 73-71, Russell Knox (SCO) 69-75
145 - Scott Langley (USA) 75-70, Kyle Stanley (USA) 71-74
146 - Justin Hicks (USA) 73-73, K.J Choi (KOR) 70-76, Jamie Donaldson (WAL) 73-73, Webb Simpson (USA) 71-75, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 71-75
147 - Paul Lawrie (SCO) 76-71, Lee Westwood (ENG) 70-77, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 72-75, Bio Kim (KOR) 72-75, Adam Scott (AUS) 72-75, Bubba Watson (USA) 71-76, Matt Kuchar (USA) 74-73
148 - David Howell (ENG) 77-71, Peter Hedblom (SWE) 70-78, Martin Kaymer (GER) 76-72, Michael Weaver (USA) 74-74, Kevin Chappell (USA) 72-76, Josh Teater (USA) 74-74, Morten Orum Madsen (DEN) 74-74, Steven Alker (NZL) 73-75, Alistair Presnell (AUS) 73-75, Jim Herman (USA) 76-72, Dustin Johnson (USA) 71-77, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 74-74
149 - Chris Williams (USA) 75-74, Michael Thompson (USA) 71-78
150 - Brian Stuard (USA) 75-75, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) 76-74, Casey Wittenberg (USA) 79-71, Steven Fox (USA) 76-74
151 - Zach Johnson (USA) 74-77, Bae Sang-Moon (KOR) 77-74, Max Homa (USA) 73-78, Gavin Hall (USA) 74-77
152 - Brendan Steele (USA) 76-76, David Toms (USA) 75-77, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 79-73, Hwang Jung-Gon (KOR) 75-77, Brandon Brown (USA) 75-77, Keegan Bradley (USA) 77-75
153 - Marc Leishman (AUS) 78-75, Graeme McDowell (NIR) 76-77, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 79-74, Branden Grace (USA) 70-83, Jordan Spieth (USA) 77-76
154 - Estanislao Goya (ARG) 71-83, Scott Piercy (USA) 78-76, Eddie Pepperell (ENG) 77-77, Jesse Smith (USA) 73-81
155 - Darren Clarke (NIR) 80-75, Angel Cabrera (ARG) 74-81
156 - Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP) 75-81, Jim Furyk (USA) 77-79, Joe Ogilvie (USA) 75-81
157 - Russell Henley (USA) 77-80, Adam Hadwin (CAN) 81-76
158 - Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 79-79, Yoshinobu Tsukada (JPN) 78-80, Zack Fisher (USA) 82-76
159 - Matt Harmon (USA) 78-81, Brandon Crick (USA) 81-78
162 - John Nieport (USA) 78-84
163 - Ryan Sullivan (USA) 81-82
164 - Grayson Murray (USA) 83-81
W/D - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)