Notebook, Round 2: U.S. Open

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Graeme McDowell, a 30-year-old native of Portrush, Northern Ireland, carded a 3-under 68 to take the second-round lead (3-under 139) at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson, Ryo Ishikawa and Phil Mickelson are just two strokes behind.

McDowell is making his fifth start at the U.S. Open, with Friday's 68 his third round in the 60s in 18 attempts. Last year, he posted 69s in rounds one and three en route to a T18 -- his best showing at the U.S. Open.

McDowell is making his 19th start in a major championship, with his best finishes at each major as follows: Masters (T17, 2009), U.S. Open (T18, 2009), British Open (T11, 2005) and PGA Championship (T10, 2009). His missed cut at the 2010 Masters snapped a streak of six straight made cuts in majors, including five top-20s.

This week represents McDowell's 64th start on the PGA TOUR, with a runner-up finish at the 2005 Arnold Palmer Invitational his best outing. In 2010, he has made six previous starts, with a sixth-place effort at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship his best outing.

McDowell is a five-time winner on the European Tour, recently winning the 2010 Celtic Manor Wales Open. His other victories came at the 2002 Volvo Scandinavian Masters, 2004 61st Telecom Italia Open, 2008 Ballantine's Championship and the 2008 Barclays Scottish Open.

This represents the fourth time McDowell has led after any round in a TOUR event, but the first after 36 holes. His three previous leads were all after the first round: 2006 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (finished T15) and 2006 and 2008 British Opens, finishing T61 and T19, respectively.

Ernie Els (73-68--141) 1 under

Ernie Els is making his 71st start in a major championship, with his best finishes at each major as follows: Masters (2nd, 2000, 2004/6 top-10s), U.S. Open (1st, 1994, 1997/7 top-10s), British Open (1st, 2002/12 top-10s) and the PGA Championship (3rd-2007, T3-1995/5 top-10s).

Els is playing in the U.S. Open for the 18th time (15 made cuts), with victories in 1994 and 1997. He has seven top-10s (T7-1993, 1-1994, T5-1996, 1-1997, T2-2000, T5-2003, T9-2004).

Els' 36-hole status at his two U.S. Open victories:

Ernie Els and Tiger Woods teed it up on Friday for the 30th time in a PGA TOUR event. Woods has gotten the better of Els 15 times, with Els coming out on top eight times (including both rounds this week), and seven times resulting in a tie. The two are well known for their duel at the 2003 President's Cup, which ended in a tie.

Dustin Johnson (71-70--141) 1 under

Dustin Johnson, the winner of the 2009 and 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, moved to 1-under 141 after carding a 1-under 70 on Friday. He sits just two strokes behind leader Graeme McDowell.

Since 1936, there have been 10 occasions in the U.S. where a major championship was contested on a course that also hosted a TOUR event that same season. The 2010 U.S Open marks the sixth time a major has been held at Pebble Beach. Here's a look at how the TOUR winner finished in the major championship each year:

Johnson has now made the cut in 13 of 15 starts in 2010, with five top-25s. In addition to his win at Pebble Beach, he has top-10s at the Northern Trust Open (T3) and the HP Byron Nelson Championship (T7).

Johnson is the first player since Tiger Woods to win in each of his first three years on TOUR after college.

Ryo Ishikawa (70-71-- 141) 1 under

Ryo Ishikawa posted an even-par 71 to remain at 1 under through two rounds, just two strokes behind leader Graeme McDowell. Ishikawa is making his fifth start in a major championship (MC-2009 Masters, MC-2009 British Open, T56-2009 PGA Championship, MC-2010 Masters, TBD-2010 U.S. Open).

At 18 years, 9 months and 3 days (on Sunday), Ryo Ishikawa would become the youngest winner in PGA TOUR history. Johnny McDermott won the 1911 U.S. Open at the age of 19 years, 10 months, 14 days. McDermott, at the age of 18, lost in a playoff at the 1910 U.S. Open, and according to USGA records, finished T48 as a 17-year-old in 1909.

Ishikawa has made three cuts in six starts on the PGA TOUR in 2010, with a T9 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship his best finish.

Phil Mickelson (75-66-- 141) 1 under

Mickelson bounced back from a 75 with a 5-under 66 to move within two strokes of leader Graeme McDowell. The 66 equals his best round in 74 overall rounds at the U.S. Open (R2, 2004, finished 2nd).

The three-time winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (1998, 2005, 2007) played in his first event as a professional at the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, won by Tom Kite.

Mickelson has five career runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open in 17 previous professional starts (19 total). Players with four runner-up finishes: Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

Mickelson has won 11 of his 38 PGA TOUR titles in the state of California. Just once has he gone on to win after opening with a round of 75 or higher (1993 Buick Invitational, opened with 3-over 75).

Tiger Woods (74-72--146) 4 over

Tiger Woods has come-from-behind after 36 holes to win six major championships:

Woods has trailed after 36 holes in 35 of his 68 stroke-play wins. His largest 36-hole comeback victories:

The largest come-from-behind victory at the U.S. Open in the final 36 holes was recorded by Lou Graham in 1975 at Medinah. He was 11 strokes behind 36-hole leader Tom Watson before storming back to win.

Tiger Woods has had just three birdies through the first 36 holes at the U.S. Open. Only three times in his professional career has he had fewer sub-par scores (birdies and eagles) through 36 holes:

Tom Watson (78-71--149) 7 over

Tom Watson, a 60-year-old native of Kansas City, MO, turned in an even-par 71 on Friday to remain at 7-over-par through two rounds of the U.S. Open. He is making his first start at the U.S. Open since finishing T28 in 2003.

Tom Watson (60) is the second oldest player to make the cut at the U.S. Open. Sam Snead was 61 when he finished T29 in 1973. Here's a look at the oldest players to make the cut at the U.S. Open:

61 -- Sam Snead (finished T29 in 1973)

60 -- Tom Watson (TBD in 2010)

58 -- Jack Nicklaus (finished T43 in 1998)

57 -- Sam Snead (finished T38 in 1969)

57 -- Dutch Harrison (finished T16 in 1967)

57 -- Jack Nicklaus (finished T52 in 1997)

Watson is making his 730th start in a PGA TOUR (597 starts) or Champions Tour (133 starts) event this week. This week represents his 494th made cut on the PGA TOUR.

Watson has now made the cut at the U.S. Open 25 times. Only five players have completed 72 holes at the Open more times: Jack Nicklaus (35), Sam Snead (27), Hale Irwin (27), Gene Sarazen (26) and Raymond Floyd (26).

Watson is one of four Champions Tour members participating this week: Fred Funk (74-72-- 146/T25), Tom Watson (78-71-- 149/T59), Tom Lehman (76-74-- 150/MC) and David Frost (73-78-- 151/MC).

Watson is making his 31st start at the U.S. Open, with top-5 finishes in 1982 (1st), 1983 (2nd), 1987 (2nd), 1980 (T3), 1974 (T5) and 1993 (T5). Friday's even-par 71 was his 110th round at the U.S. Open.

Sixty-year-old Tom Watson, the only player to tee it up in all five U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach, sits four strokes better (149) through 36 holes than he did as a 22-year-old in his first appearance at the U.S. Open in 1972 (153). Here's a look at Watson's standing through 36 holes at the five U.S. Opens held at Pebble Beach:

Miscellaneous Notes

The cut came at 7-over 149 with 83 players advancing to the weekend. The cut at the U.S. Open reduces the field to the low 60 and ties and anyone within 10 strokes of the lead. The largest cuts in U.S. Open history came in 1996 (108 players) and 1993 (88 players).

First-round leaders and their second-round results: Brendon de Jonge (69-73-- 142/T6), Paul Casey (69-73-- 142/T6) and Shaun Micheel (69-76-- 145/T25).

The 36-hole leader/co-leader has won 36 times at the U.S. Open, most recently Angel Cabrera in 2007.

The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win seven of 24 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season, most recently Lee Westwood at the St. Jude Classic.

Second-round leads of the previous four U.S. Opens hosted at Pebble Beach Golf Links:

Amateur leaderboard through two rounds:

Scott Langley 75-69-- 144 (T13)

Russell Henley 73-74-- 147 (T37)

Morgan Hoffman 75-75-- 150 (MC)

Hudson Swafford 76-74-- 150 (MC)

Andrew Putnam 76-78-- 154 (MC)

Joseph Bramlett 79-75-- 154 (MC)

Byeong-Hun An 79-75-- 154 (MC)

Ben Martin 78-77-- 155 (MC)

Kevin Phelan 83-75-- 158 (MC)

Bennett Blakeman 81-85-- 166 (MC)

St. Jude Classic winner Lee Westwood stands at 3-over 145 (74-71) through two rounds. He is attempting to become the first player to win on the PGA TOUR and then go on to win the U.S. Open the following week. Since 1934, only 10 players have won the week before winning a major:

2007 Tiger Woods won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational followed by PGA Championship

2006 Phil Mickelson won BellSouth Classic followed by Masters

1988 Sandy Lyle won Greater Greensboro Open followed by the Masters

1971 Lee Trevino won the Canadian Open followed by the British Open

1959 Art Wall won the Azalea Open followed by the Masters

1949 Sam Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open followed by the Masters

1946 *Ben Hogan won the Winnipeg Open followed by the PGA

1945 *Byron Nelson won the Chicago Victory Open followed by the PGA

1939 Ralph Guldahl won the Greater Greensboro Open followed by the Masters

1939 *Henry Picard won the Scranton Open followed by the PGA

*No event scheduled the week after first win. Major was the next event contested

U.S. Open past champion leaderboard:

Five of the 10 Nationwide Tour members participating at this year's U.S. Open made the cut:

Of the 24 players who advanced through both local and sectional qualifying, seven made the cut. The list includes:

a-Scott Langley 75-69-- 144 (T13)

Jason Allred 72-73-- 145 (T16)

Jason Preeo 75-70-- 145 (T16)

a-Russell Henley 73-74-- 147 (T37)

Erick Justesen 74-74-- 148 (T48)

Matthew Richardson 73-75-- 148 (T48)

Ty Tryon 75-74-- 149 (T59)

Hugo Leon 73-77-- 150 (MC)

a-Hudson Swafford 76-74-- 150 (MC)

Kenny (Yun-Gi) Kim 78-73-- 151 (MC)

Jon Curran 75-77-- 152 (MC)

Jerry Smith 78-76-- 154 (MC)

a-Andrew Putnam 76-78-- 154 (MC)

a-Joseph Bramlett 79-75-- 154 (MC)

Kent Eger 76-79-- 155 (MC)

Daniel Summerhays 79-77-- 156 (MC)

Travis Hampshire 81-76-- 157 (MC)

Erik Compton 77-81-- 158 (MC)

Dan McCarthy 80-78-- 158 (MC)

a-Kevin Phelan 83-75-- 158 (MC)

Alex Martin 79-84-- 163 (MC)

Mark Silvers 82-82-- 164 (MC)

Blaine Peffley 86-79-- 165 (MC)

a-Bennett Blakeman 81-85-- 166 (MC)

Eight of the top-10 finishers from the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach GL are participating this year:

Active consecutive major appearances:

Singh, Vijay 64

Weir, Mike 45

Garcia, Sergio 44

Allenby, Robert 40

Scott, Adam 36

Choi, K.J. 33

Cink, Stewart 29

Curtis, Ben 28

There were no bogey-free rounds for the second consecutive day.

Scoring Averages at the par-71 Pebble Beach Golf Links:

Pebble Beach Golf Links played as the toughest course on the PGA TOUR in 2000, the last time it hosted the U.S. Open. That year, it played to a 75.359 average.

Cumulative stat leaders through two rounds:

Driving Distance Dustin Johnson 328.5 yards

Driving Accuracy Henrik Stenson 25 of 28 (89.29%)

Greens in Regulation Dustin Johnson 27 of 36 (75.00%)

Putts per Round Matt Bettencourt 52 putts (1.444 average)

The par-5 14th hole played the toughest on Friday, yielding a 5.467 average. The par-5 sixth hole was the easiest for the second straight day at 4.737.