Golf

Few beat pace at Winged Foot

By BOB HARIG
Published June 17, 2006

MAMARONECK, N.Y. - The U.S. Open has a way of producing unlikely leaders, and Steve Stricker is the latest.

The three-time PGA Tour winner is not exempt this year, having lost his status after finishing 162nd on the money list in 2005. He had made it into only six tournaments before this week based on his past champions status and sponsor exemptions and is ranked 196th in the world.

"It never lets up," said Stricker, whose 1-under-par 69 put him at 1-under 139 and a stroke ahead of Scotland's Colin Montgomerie. "I only missed a couple of fairways, but once you get it on the green, it's not easy, either. You've got to keep grinding all the way around."

Montgomerie, 42, who is in search of his first major title, added 71 to his opening 69. Australia's Geoff Ogilvy (70) and England's Kenneth Ferrie (70), who made it to 3 under before slipping back, were tied for third at 141. Jim Furyk (72) and Padraig Harrington (69) were tied for fifth at 142, with Masters champ Phil Mickelson four shots back at 143.

Montgomerie will play in the final twosome today after a round of 17 pars and one bogey. "Severe lack of birdie in my round," he said. "In fact, none. But at the same time, it's not the birdies you make in these type of courses, it's the mistakes that you don't make, and I only made one, that's good, very good."

There were just four rounds in the 60s, but one of them came from David Duval, whose 68 tied Arron Oberholser for low score of the tournament.

Duval, who is ranked 402nd in the world and has had numerous problems since winning the British Open in 2001, made his first cut at a major since the 2002 PGA.

"I'm not thinking along those lines of whether I've done it recently or not," Duval said. "It's a matter of confidence and how I'm playing, and my results haven't been nearly what I thought they should be this year up to this point. I just look forward to a really good second half of the year."

Michael Campbell and Tiger Woods finished 1-2 at last year's U.S. Open. This year, playing in the same group for the first two rounds, they battled for who would be worse. As it turned out, they tied: at 152, 12-over par, with both missing the 36-hole cut.

"I got a bit frustrated out there," said Campbell, the only player to finish under par a year ago at Pinehurst. "Missed a few very, very short putts, a few putts within 2 feet, and rushed my preshot routine a little bit. Just frustration. The word that springs to mind is patience. The game of golf, especially this week, requires patience, and (Friday) was a prime example."

Jay Haas set a PGA Tour record when he made the 36-hole cut in his 591st event. That broke a tie with Tom Kite. Haas, 52, has won three times this year on the Champions Tour but has also played in six PGA Tour events, including the U.S. Open, where he shot 72 Friday to finish at 147.

It also meant Haas made the cut all four times he played at Winged Foot, in the 1974, 1984 and 2006 U.S. Opens and in the 1997 PGA Championship.

"I think that maybe is one of my proudest moments and thinking about Winged Foot itself and what this course means to me," Haas said. "I think that's probably as special as passing Tom, briefly though it might be."

[Last modified June 17, 2006, 00:50:09]