U.S. OPEN : Norman on Cutting Edge With Two-Shot Margin : Golf: He pulls out a special shot for a birdie on 18th hole and a 67. Ozaki is the closest pursuer.

For style, for innovation, for the heck of it, there’s absolutely nothing like using the blade of your sand wedge to knock the ball straight from the fringe to the bottom of the 18th hole at the U.S. Open.

It’s a shot many are familiar with, usually by accident, but it’s the method Greg Norman used on purpose Friday to roll in an 18-foot birdie at Shinnecock Hills and close out a second-round 67 that gave him the lead at the halfway point of the 95th U.S. Open.

Norman said he practices that shot at home, hitting the ball as if giving it a karate chop.

Norman said it’s all part of his basic repertoire.

“I have done that for years,” he said.

For his next trick, Norman may try to tap the ball into the hole using a one-iron as a pool cue. Either that or make the U.S. Open trophy disappear into his trophy case.

On another sunny day here, anything seemed possible for Norman. After rounds of 68-67, Norman’s lead is two shots over Jumbo Ozaki at three-under 137, three over Phil Mickelson and Bob Tway at 138 and four over Nick Price and Bill Glasson at one-under 139.

Norman started fast, but he was even for the day after bogeying Nos. 8 and 10, the latter when he two-putted from five feet.

But then he dropped an 18-inch putt for a birdie on No. 11 and a 25-footer on the 14th for another birdie. All that was left was for his unusual sand wedge shot at the 18th.

Norman reasoned that he couldn’t use his putter because the ball was in the fringe. He said he was ready for just such a situation.

“What I tell myself is, ‘Expect the unexpected,’ ” Norman said. “ ‘If you get an unexpected situation, how do you get yourself out of it?’ ”

First-round leader Price unexpectedly shot 73, but it could have been worse. He dropped five shots in a 10-hole stretch from No. 6 to No. 15, but recovered with a birdie on No. 16.

“It was just a tough day for me,” Price said. “But I’m very happy, very comfortable.”

The comfort zone is not very crowded. Only three players are within three shots of Norman and there are nine within five, with Davis Love III, Nick Faldo, Curt Byrum and Mark Roe at par.

Missing the rest of the tournament will be Tiger Woods, who withdrew because of a wrist injury. Woods strained ligaments in his left wrist hitting a wedge out of the rough, then aggravated the injury with a similar shot on the fifth hole.

He walked off the course after hitting his drive on No. 6. Later, he wore a wrap on his wrist and talked about his disappointment at how his first U.S. Open had ended.

“I am kind of bummed out,” he said.

Bummed, too, were others who found themselves free for the weekend.

The cut was at 146, six over, and it claimed defending champion Ernie Els, Paul Azinger, Seve Ballesteros, Chip Beck, Fred Couples, Hale Irwin and Jack Nicklaus, who shot 81 and matched his worst round in his 39 U.S. Open appearances.

Faldo bogeyed the 18th, but still finished with a 68 and found nothing wrong with his spot.

“I’ve got a chance,” he said. “It’s not a bad position to come from. I’ve got nothing to lose. There’s a free run at it.”

Beginning today, they’re going to take a run at Norman, who said he is toning down his normal tendency toward aggression on the course.

“I am extremely happy with my patience now,” he said. “I am very calm and relaxed within myself . . . the way I am controlling myself out there.”

It’s not the Norman way, of course. Taking chances, firing at flagsticks, going for it--that’s what Norman has been known for, but that’s not the best way to play Shinnecock.

In fact, to keep his mind on track, Norman has been reading books on Zen and martial arts.

The reason?

“The Chinese and the Orientals have been around a heck of a lot longer than we have,” Norman reasoned.

Mickelson hasn’t been around for long--he celebrated his 25th birthday Friday--but he has aged rapidly here.

“You’re very drained after a round out here,” he said.

Price said Norman can make the Open a draining experience for anybody. Another good round today for Norman and they may start engraving a kangaroo on the trophy.

“I think it all depends on Greg,” Price said. “He is in such control of his emotion and his game. If he goes out and shoots three under par, he’s going to make it very difficult for a lot of guys to catch him.”

And there may be a lot of guys hitting balls with the blades of their sand wedges and calling it Zen.

U.S. Open Notes

Loren Roberts, a runner-up last year, withdrew because of a back injury he suffered while marking his ball in the first round. . . . John Borucke is a forecaddie, which means he is one of a crew trying to make sure no balls are lost in the rough. Borucke wears white gloves as he stands near the tee and signals where the ball is going. Another forecaddie down the fairway follows the flight of the ball and marks it with a red flag. As it turns out, Borucke has had no previous experience. “I was in the Marines,” he said. “We didn’t direct anything except bullets.” . . . Chris Tidland, who had a first-round 70, shot 79 and missed the cut. Tidland, a 22-year-old amateur from Placentia and NCAA champion Oklahoma State, said he missed just enough shots to have a bad day at Shinnecock Hills. “If you’re just a little bit off, it’s going to kick your tail,” he said.