Retief Goosen took another step toward defending his US Open championship by finishing at 2-under-par 138 to tie for the lead with surprising Olin Browne and Jason Gore on Friday.
Goosen shot even-par 70 on a day when par was barely attainable. Only K.J. Choi and Mark Hensby joined the leaders in red numbers, each finishing at 1-under after playing the second round on a Pinehurst No. 2 course that remained dry, fast and hard despite a full morning of clouds and reasonable temperatures.
Among those who struggled the most was Phil Mickelson, who bogeyed six of his first nine holes to shoot 7-over 77 -- his worst round at the US Open since 1994.
Tiger Woods shot 71 to wind up at 1-over for the tournament. He got so frustrated after leaving a par putt short on No. 9 that he scraped his putter along the green and left a nasty gash.
Vijay Singh shot even par for the second straight day and felt pretty good about where he stood.
"The golf course is not getting any easier," Singh said. "But even-par is -- I'm in good position, I think."
David Toms was in great position -- coming down the stretch alone in the lead at 3-under with two holes to play. He finished with a double bogey and a triple bogey to wind up four strokes behind Goosen.
Browne, the first-day leader, spent much of the day in the lead at 4-under. Pinehurst No. 2 spares very few, however, and on the par-3 sixth, he got his turn, whacking a pair of sand shots back and forth across the green and needing to ram home a 25-foot putt to save double bogey.
After grinding through his round of 1-over 71, the 46-year-old journeyman who made it here by shooting a 59 in qualifying said he wasn't thinking too much about the grand stage he was on.
"If you get worried about the stage, you have a problem here because this particular stage will hammer you," Browne said.
Around the time of his double bogey, Goosen had just completed yet another of his patiently patented par saves, teeing off into the rough on No. 3, hitting his second shot in the sand in front of the hole, then calmly pitching out for a tap-in par. On No. 9, he made another sand save, pitching out of the bunker to about 6 feet below the hole to finish his even-par round.
Why does he play so well at the Opens?
"It's just the challenge of the golf course," Goosen said. "It's the ability to work your way around. I just seem to be stronger on these golf courses."
Goosen showed it all day -- further cementing his reputation as unflappable under the toughest conditions, both on and off the course. The low-key, two-time US Open champion made his biggest news this week when he complained that he doesn't make news; hardly anyone attended the pre-tournament news conference he held and he has largely been overshadowed by the other members of the Big Five -- Woods, Mickelson, Singh and Ernie Els.
All will be trying to catch him this weekend.
None has a bigger chase than Els, who staggered to a 76 to finish at 147.
One stroke ahead of him is Mickelson, who remained optimistic despite a terrible round.
"I think 36 pars might have an outside chance of winning and that's what I'm hoping for," Mickelson said.
Nobody has won the US Open with an above-par score since Andy North at 1-over in 1978, although Mickelson's early prediction that it could happen again this year was looking more and more possible.
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