Sports

Golf

The 19th hole

By BOB HARIG
Published June 18, 2005

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BIRDIES

After shooting 67 to share the first-round lead, Olin Browne held it together with 71 and remained tied.

Defending champion Retief Goosen put himself in position to become the first since Curtis Strange in 1988-89 to win consecutive U.S. Opens after 70.

Nationwide Tour player Jason Gore shot 67 to share the second-round lead.

BOGEYS

Ernie Els shot 76 to fall nine behind the leaders.

Phil Mickelson shot 77 and was eight shots back.

David Toms went from 3 under par to 2 over in two holes, making double bogey, then triple bogey.

QUOTABLE

"Once you've done it once you sort of feel like you can do it again. And I suppose it's more of a confidence thing." - two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen.

DIVOTS

Tiger's temper: Tiger Woods' anger Friday could have disqualified him. At the very least, he could have been penalized. Woods, after missing a par putt on the ninth green, scraped the surface of the green with his putter. In the etiquette section of the rule book, it reads: "Players should avoid causing damage to the course ... by hitting the head of a club into the ground, whether in anger or for any other reason." The tournament committee can disqualify a player under Rule 33-7 for a "serious breach" of etiquette. The one-time occurrence, according to USGA senior director of rules and competitions Tom Meeks, would not qualify as a "serious breach." Rule 16-1 also outlines conditions under which the putting green may be touched by a player for testing purposes. Since Woods' actions did not imply intent, no action was taken.

Rocco in Vegas: Rocco Mediate, who was tied for the lead after the first round of the U.S. Open, has a passion in addition to golf: poker. He has entered the World Series of Poker next month in Las Vegas. Pokerstars.com has put up the $10,000 entry fee, and although it will be his first time, Mediate believes he is capable. "A couple of those guys have won it as first-timers," he said. "So you never know. But I know my chances of winning are better here." Mediate was three shots out of the lead after 74.

STAT OF THE DAY

Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els combined for two birdies.

HOLE OF THE DAY

No. 9

Par 3, 175 yards

David Toms would love to have a mulligan - or two. Although no hole at Pinehurst is easy, this par 3 is not one that would be considered treacherous. It played the eighth-most difficult on Friday, averaging 3.286. There were only eight scores worse than bogey. But one belonged to Toms, and it was a beauty. Having double-bogeyed the eighth hole, his 17th, to drop out of the lead, Toms butchered the ninth, missing the green, sending two shots back across it, finally getting on, then two-putting for triple-bogey 6. That dropped him to 2 over par, four behind the leaders. He would have been one behind, however, without the problems at No. 9.

[Last modified June 18, 2005, 00:46:08]

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