Enchanting Weekend Dawning at Chambers Bay


Not surprisingly, America's national golf championship has generated a lot of drama through 36 holes. And the stage, the new, mysterious links at Chambers Bay alongside Puget Sound in Washington State, has had a lot to do with it.

Perhaps most intriguing of all is that a couple of American players are front and center at the U.S. Open, being played for the first time ever in the Pacific Northwest.

At the end of Friday, two young Texans, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, stood atop the leaderboard, while South African Branden Grace and first-round leader Dustin Johnson lurk a stroke behind.

Spieth followed up his opening 68 with a 67 to enter the weekend at 5-under 135, the same total as Reed. Spieth, a 21-year-old from Dallas and winner of the Masters in April, started his round on the 10th tee. He posted six birdies, a bogey and a double on the 18th hole, which played as a par-4 Friday.

His final birdie came on the tough par-3 ninth, which was played at a lower tee at around 200 yards. The hole also has an upper tee, which has a 100-foot drop to the green, a totally different look than the players see from the ground level.

"That was one of the better birdies I've ever made given the situation," said Spieth, who was coming off a bogey at the par-4 seventh and parred the side-sloping par-5 eighth. "You know, there wasn't much I could do on 7. So I wasn't bummed going to 8 tee. You're going to make bogeys at a U.S. Open no matter where you are. I wasn't too bummed there. I hit a good putt on 8, too, it just slid right by the hole, I thought it would break more," Spieth added the birdie chance on the par-5 at the uppermost point of Chambers Bay.

"All in all, I went to the 9th tee, saying let's hit a solid shot on the green, two putts later and that's still another good score. I said right here yesterday that I'd take 2-under every round. So I fed a 5-iron in and cut it a little bit with the wind. And it fed above the slope and I had a dead straight putt from there to about 8 feet. So obviously there was some wait time in between, but I . . . was able to knock it in."

Reed, a 24-year-old from San Antonio, had a 69 after his first-round 66. Reed experienced a wild round, carding three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine and an eagle on the short par-4 12th, and then two birdies and four bogeys on the back for halves of 35 and 34 at the par-70 configuration.

"I actually felt like it was a pretty disappointing round," Reed said. "But we're in a good position. It's definitely going to be a tournament that anyone has a chance to win."

On Friday, the firm-and-fast, all-fescue Chambers Bay was set up at over 7,600 yards, making it the longest course in major championship history.

The ball-busting Johnson, who opened with a stellar 65, was cruising along in good shape for most of the day. Starting in the afternoon when the sun came out and the winds picked up, the South Carolinian went out in 1-under 35. But, after a stellar birdie on the 11th, he bogeyed three of the final five holes for a 36 to drop into second.

Sharing fifth at 3-under 137 were Joost Luiten, Tony Finau, Daniel Summerhays and Ben Martin. Sweden's Henrik Stenson, who shared the first-round lead with Johnson, dropped into a tie for 12th after a 74.

"A little disappointed with some of the shots I hit," Stenson said later. "But it wasn't my best day. It was tough out there. The way we're playing this course in the afternoon compared to the morning, I don't know, it's borderline laughable at some of the greens and some of the pin positions, when we're actually almost better off plugged in a bunker than being on the top of a ridge, like on the 4th.

"And it's pretty much like putting on broccoli, as well," the Swede noted in reference to the fescue greens that have been invaded by poa annua. "So I don't know what to say other than that, really. Obviously the way you play is going to affect in the scoring, but I'm sure many of my colleagues would kind of fall in on a few of those remarks."

Jason Day posted rounds of 68 and 70 and easily made the cut of 5-over 145 at 2-under. Joining the Aussie in a tie for ninth are Jamie Lovemark and J.B. Holmes, who shot 68 and 66, respectively, with Holmes' 66 the low round of the day.

But the 27-year-old Day had a scary moment while playing his final hole of the day, the par-3 ninth. Day has a history of vertigo and the malady struck suddenly on Friday, so severely that he collapsed on the ground.

Remarkably, Day - who withdrew last fall at a WGC event in Ohio for the same issue - finished with a bogey that drew big cheers from the gallery. Day said soon after that he plans to continue in the tournament.

Playing partner Justin Rose, who shot a 70, told reporters later, "At first I thought he might've just rolled his ankle but then when I saw his caddie with a towel 'round him, I realized it was something else. I knew he'd been having some health issues recently and then that's when your mind starts racing a little bit."

A statement released by Day's agent Bud Martin read: "Jason is being treated on site at Chambers Bay, after feeling dizzy near the end of his round. We will provide more information later today after getting through the medical evaluation process. Jason wants to express his appreciation for all the good wishes from so many fans and friends."

Three-time U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods had another desultory performance. The 14-time major winner, whose last Grand Slam victory came at the 2008 U.S. Open, opened with a 10-over 80 on Thursday and had a 76 in the second round, finishing 36 holes in 16-over 156 and at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Just over two weeks ago, Woods carded his highest score ever on the PGA Tour, an 85 at the Memorial. Though he made the cut then, he shot 85 and 74 over the weekend to finish dead last, 29 strokes behind eventual winner David Lingmerth.

During a brief session with reporters at Chambers Bay, Woods said he was hoping to shoot a score five or six strokes from par before noting jokingly, "But I wanted to be on the other side of it."

As for his future schedule, Woods added, "Just continue practicing, continue working on it. And hopefully, it will be a little bit better. On a golf course like this, you get exposed, and you have to be precise and dialed in. And obviously, I didn't have that. I need to get a little better for the British Open." The third major of the year will take place in July at another links, the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Tacoma native Ryan Moore missed the cut of 5-over 145 after rounds of 75 and 74. "I'm disappointed with how I played," he said. "I would be lying if I said I felt great coming into this week. I tried getting out there, getting a lot of time on the golf course, getting comfortable with it. This course does not set up all that well for me."

Also missing the cut were one of the pre-tournament favorites Rickie Fowler, who shot rounds of 81 and 73, two-time U.S. Open champions Lee Janzen and Retief Goosen, 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, dual Masters winner Bubba Watson, and the runaway U.S. Open champion last year at Pinehurst No. 2, Martin Kaymer.

Phil Mickelson, in search of a career Grand Slam, shot a 74 after opening with a 69 but still made the cut.

Chris Kirk had the shot of the day. The 30-year-old from Knoxville holed out from the fairway on the 483-yard par-4 for an eagle.

Of the drama unfolding at Chambers Bay, Cybergolf's Jay Flemma commented, "38 years ago there was another seaside links course that had never hosted a major before - Turnberry. And that weekend Watson and Nicklaus gave us the unforgettable 'Duel in the Sun.'

"Now we have the two rising stars of American golf - Ryder Cup heroes both, and one the reigning Masters champion - set to reprise that epic battle. And if that's not enough, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day are in the mix as well. That's four of the top-seven names in golf right now, all of them young, all of them fearless."

For all the scores, visit http://www.usopen.com/en_US/scoring/index.html.