Stricker Moves Up; Woods Moves Out

Steve Stricker leads the 106th U.S. Open, Tiger Woods missed the cut, long-lost David Duval shot two-under-par 68, and anyone from Geoff Ogilvy to Arron Oberholser can still win this shootout.

That sums up the insanity Friday at Winged Foot Golf Club, where prospects rose and dipped like the West course greens and more than half the field was ultimately chased home.

Is anyone having fun yet?

Stricker shot a one-under 69 in the morning and waited to see whether it stood up.

It did, and his 36-hole total of one-under 139 was good enough for the lead heading into weekend play.

Sticker has a one-shot advantage over Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, the first-round leader, who stands at even-par 140 after his one-over 71.

Ogilvy of Australia and Kenneth Ferrie of England are two shots back with 36-hole totals of 141. Ogilvy shot even-par 70 on Friday and then counted all of his best shots and blessings.

“I mean, you practice your whole life to be able to hang on and grind around, and you look forward to being here,” he said. “So you’ve got to try to enjoy it while you’re here. I’m trying to enjoy it.”

Ferrie was three-under overall and leading by two shots at one point before double bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 knocked him back over par.

Jim Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, and Padraig Harrington of Ireland, are three shots off the lead at two-over 142.

If nothing else, Furyk has already earned the “injury of the year” award, battling back from an aching neck he wrenched while swallowing an aspirin. He said he popped the pill and “threw my head back and pinched something in my neck.”

And some people say golfers aren’t tough.

Phil Mickelson slugged out a three-over 73 on Friday and he stands at three-over 143 overall -- Oberholser is there as well -- four shots behind Stricker.

“Every round is a potential 76 or 80, so I guess you could say I escaped it again,” Mickelson said.

And get this: With two days left, players from England, Scotland and Ireland are within three shots of the lead.

The last European player to win the U.S. Open was Englishman Tony Jacklin in 1970.

“Pure coincidence that it hasn’t happened [since], I’m afraid,” Montgomerie said. “There’s a few of us attempting to do that this week. I’m glad I’m one of them.”

The surprise round of the day was a tie between Duval’s two-under and Woods’ six-over 76. It was the man-bites-dog headline of golf: “Duval in; Woods out.”

Duval, mired in a years-long slump, pulled a rabbit out of his bag and answered his opening-round 77 with a 68 that moved him beyond the cut at a major for the first time since the 2002 PGA Championship.

He is in the last year of the five-year U.S. Open exemption he earned by winning the 2001 British Open.

His golf game has long been in purgatory. He quit the game for a while before returning to face more futility.

Once the world’s No. 1 player, Duval made only one cut in 20 starts last year and earned $7,630.

How does it feel to be only six shots back in a major with two days to go?

“Well, you know what?” Duval said. “It feels wonderful.”

Woods had two days straight out of a sports horror flick, missing the cut in a major for the first time in 39 starts with matching scores of 76-76, the highest consecutive rounds of his pro career.

The 36-hole lowlights included nine bogeys, three doubles and purposely hitting a shot into the grandstands in order to get a free drop.

Did he come back too soon after his father’s death May 3?

“What’s happened off the course, I don’t know if it gives you a different type of perspective,” Woods said. “But I don’t care if you had what transpired in my life of recent or not, poor execution is never going to feel very good.”

Stricker, the unlikely mid-point leader, was given as much chance of winning here as 57-year-old Allen Doyle, the oldest player in the field.

Stricker is one of those journeymen pros, once a promising young star who got old -- he’s 39 -- before anyone really noticed, and a guy who every few years or so finishes third in the Houston Shell Open.

“It’s been a work in progress to get it back,” he said of his game. “It’s very difficult to sustain unless you’re a Tiger or a Vijay [Singh] or some other God-gifted player. For the normal guys out there, it’s hard to sustain a high level for a long period of time.”

Stricker, who recently had to go through qualifying school to earn back his PGA tour card, got to the Open by shooting 64-65 in sectional qualifying.

“There were no physical injuries,” Stricker explained of his lagging game, “but mental injuries there might have been ... “

So who is it going to be?

Mickelson remained the heavy fan favorite Friday and was repeatedly serenaded with choruses of “Happy Birthday” on the day he turned 36.

As he approached the eighth green, a fan yelled, “Do you love us, Phil?”

Mickelson broke up laughing and flashed the man a thumbs-up.

Mickelson couldn’t draw off the momentum at a point when he might have separated from the pack and become the man to catch en route to his third straight major.

“I’m trying to focus on this one tournament, and it’s nice that I’m in that position,” Mickelson said.

“I just don’t have the energy to let my mind wander. I’ve got a lot of work to do the next two days.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

U.S. Open

By missing the cut Friday, Tiger Woods is left tied with Jack Nicklaus with 39 consecutive cuts made in majors:

*--* JACK NICKLAUS (39)

*--*

Masters (10)...1969-1978

U.S. Open (10)...1969-1978

British Open (10)...1969-1978

PGA Championship (9)...1969-1977

*--* TIGER WOODS (39)

*--*

Masters (10)...1997-2006

U.S. Open (10)...1996-2005

British Open (10)...1996-2005

PGA Championship (9)...1997-2005

Leaders after the second round at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Yardage: 7,264; Par: 70.

*--* Player 1st 2nd Total Par Steve Stricker 70 69 139 -1 Colin Montgomerie 69 71 140 E Kenneth Ferrie 71 70 141 +1 Geoff Ogilvy 71 70 141 +1 Padraig Harrington 73 69 142 +2 Jim Furyk 70 72 142 +2 Phil Mickelson 70 73 143 +3 Graeme McDowell 71 72 143 +3 Arron Oberholser 75 68 143 +3 Jason Dufner 72 71 143 +3

*--*