U.S. OPEN : Sluman Fires 70, Takes Early Round 2 Lead

First round co-leader Jeff Sluman birdied two of the last three holes today to take the early lead in the second round of the 90th U.S. Open golf championship.

With Medinah Country Club’s No. 3 course playing far more difficult than Thursday when a record 39 players broke par, Sluman shot a two-under-par 70 for an eight-under-par total of 136.

“I was happy to get off with a 70,” said Sluman, who parred the first 16 holes, four with excellent saves.

He then reeled off birdies at the 16th and 17th, two of the toughest holes on the course, when he smacked the ball within three feet of the hole at each.

“I was not as sharp today as yesterday,” Sluman admitted after he one-putted five times to save par, including putts of 15 and 20 feet on the 11th and 12th holes.

He also made an impressive par save on the difficult 440-yard 18th hole after he pushed his tee shot into trees on the right, punched out and dropped a nine-iron six feet below the hole.

In the first round Sluman had made six birdies by the 16th hole on his way to a course record 66, which was matched by two Simpsons, Scott and Tim, who are not related.

Scott Simpson, winner of this major championship in 1987, started his day with a birdie and got to eight-under with another on the 8th hole, but he faltered coming in and settled for 73. That put Simpson at 139, three behind Sluman.

Tim Simpson was just beginning his round when Sluman and Simpson were finishing theirs.

Hale Irwin, who won the U.S. Open twice in the 1970s, also birdied the 16th and 17th holes in an up-and-down round and came in with a 70, matching his best round in an Open since 1984.

That tied him with Scott Simpson at 139 and put him among the early leaders in the clubhouse.

Craig Stadler, who flew here directly from his victory Sunday in the Scandinavian Open, also shot 70 and he stood at 141.

When play began on a warm, sunny day with just the slightest breeze the players found a different golf course than the one that they had all but demolished Thursday--when exactly one quarter of the field beat par, breaking by 15 the U.S. Open record for sub-par scores in one round.

That course had been softened by overnight rain and the players found it easy to hold their approach shots close to the hole.

It was a different story today. The greens had dried out considerably and the players were having much more difficulty getting near the hole.

One of the better scores posted in the early going was a three-under 69 by Seve Ballesteros of Spain, who stood at 142.