San Francisco, CA – The second major championship has brought three major champions to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds.
Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and David Toms share a two-stroke lead at 1-under-par 139 after Friday's second round at the 112th U.S. Open Championship.
Woods and Toms both posted even-par 70s in round two, while Furyk's 1-under 69 was one of seven rounds under par on Friday at The Olympic Club.
Woods is a three-time winner of this championship and Furyk was the 2003 champ at Olympia Fields. Toms won the 2001 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Graeme McDowell, the 2010 champion, shot 2-over 72 to slip into a share of fourth place at 1-over-par 141. He was joined there by first-round leader Michael Thompson (75), Nicolas Colsaerts (69) and former NCAA champion John Peterson (70).
Blake Adams (70) is alone in eighth at 2-over-par 142.
Amateur Beau Hossler grabbed the lead for a little while on Friday, but had a double bogey, a birdie and four bogeys over his last seven holes. His 3-over 73 left him tied for ninth at 3-over-par 143. Among those he is tied with are Matt Kuchar (73), Jason Dufner (71) and former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (70).
Hunter Hamrick birdied the 10th and 11th, then birdied his final two holes, 17 and 18, to post the low round of the day, a 3-under 67. He soared into a share of 18th at 4-over-par 144.
The top-two players in the world -- Luke Donald and defending champion Rory McIlroy -- both missed the cut that fell at 8-over 148.
Dustin Johnson struggled to a 4-over 74 to finish two rounds at plus-9. McIlroy (73) and 2006 champion Geoff Ogilvy (74) finished two rounds at 10- over par, while Donald (72) ended 36 holes at plus-11.
Masters champion Bubba Watson birdied two of his last four holes for a 1-over 71, but he missed the cut by a stroke as well.
Woods drained a five-foot birdie putt to grab the lead at 2-under par. However, he was entering a difficult stretch of the course.
The 14-time major champion hit a good bunker shot within four feet at the fifth, but he failed to make his par putt. His second shot on the par-4 sixth stopped on the lip of a bunker.
Woods had to be creative with his stance and hit a nice chip that trickled off the back edge. He got up and down for bogey to slip to even-par. At the short par-four seventh, Woods knocked his drive into a greenside bunker.
He blasted out safely, but three-putted for his third straight bogey. Through the hardest part of the course, Woods had plenty of time to make up the two strokes he trailed by.
Woods poured in a birdie effort from just over 20 feet out on the 10th to get back within one of the lead. After a pair of pars, Woods knocked in a four- footer for birdie on the 13th.
That put Woods back in a share of the lead. Heading through the last five holes, Woods was unable to move out in front. He missed birdie chances at 16 and 17, then parred the last to share the second-round lead.
"It got dried out. The wind was swirling a little bit out there. It was tough, it was really, really tough," Woods said of Friday's conditions. "Just had to stay as patient as possible. I did a really good job of that today."
For his second round, Furyk started on the ninth tee in the morning wave. Players started on one and nine this week, instead of the normal first and 10th tees.
Furyk tripped to a bogey on No. 9 to slip to even-par. After making pars on the next five holes, Furyk got back to 1-under with a short birdie putt on the par-3 15th.
The 42-year-old birdied the par-3 third from off the green, but stumbled to a bogey at the fifth. He made a good par from a fairway bunker on the sixth, then birdied the seventh from the fringe to end at 1-under.
"Although I missed a short one at 18, I played very beautifully on the front and was able to make a couple birdies on the way in and get it to 1-under today," Furyk said. "So I felt a little bit better with the putter. I felt like I gave the ball a little bit more of an opportunity to go in on those makeable putts and played a very solid round."
Toms, who played two groups behind Woods in the afternoon wave, got off to a slow start as he dropped a shot on the first. He also bogeyed the sixth for the second straight day to slip to 1-over par.
The 45-year-old started to move back into contention with a birdie on the 11th. Toms grabbed a piece of the lead with a birdie on the 13th. At the back- to-back par fives, 16 and 17, Toms had birdie chances from inside 20 feet, but was unable to convert either. He also parred the last to share the lead.
"Just a solid day of golf. Obviously, I didn't get off to the start I wanted to, but I'm sure a lot guys played the first six holes a couple over par," Toms stated. "That's what I did, and I just hung in there. I hit a couple good shots from the rough. I controlled by distance, which is key to be able to make your pars when you don't hit good tee balls."
Among those tied with Hamrick at plus-4 were two-time champion Ernie Els (69), Steve Stricker (68), Sergio Garcia (71) and Padraig Harrington (70).
Lee Westwood (72), Ian Poulter (75), former PGA Champion Martin Kaymer (71) and two-time champion Retief Goosen (70) are tied at 5-over-par 145.
NOTES: Woods has won eight of the nine times he owned at least a piece of the 36-hole lead at the four majors...The only time Furyk had a share of the 36- hole lead at a major was in 2003 when he won this title...Toms shared the 36- hole lead when he won the '01 PGA...The cut line fell at 8-over-par 148 with 72 players making it to the weekend...Among some of the others that missed the cut were Stewart Cink, Spencer Levin, Louis Oosthuizen, Aaron Baddeley, Trevor Immelman, Vijay Singh, Miguel Angel Jimenez and 14-year-old amateur Andy Zhang, who ended at plus-17.
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