Some of the biggest names in golf arrived back at the Olympic Club on Friday more concerned with avoiding the cut line than reaching the top of the leaderboard.
Welcome to the 112th U.S. Open!
The notoriously challenging course in San Francisco lived up to its reputation as the "graveyard of champions" during Round 1. Among the luminaries struggling by the Bay was world No. 1 Luke Donald, who scuffled to a nine-over par. The second-ranked player Rory McIlroy signed off a +7 while the No. 3 player, who rounded out an afternoon trio, Lee Westwood shot +3 on the round.
Among the few golfers to put together an impressive outing was Round 1 leader Michael Thompson, who finished at -4. The 27-year-old finished his day with a birdie and went into the clubhouse with the lead in just his third major.
Of course, Thompson's performance wasn't the one that everyone was talking about. The disciplined manner in which Tiger Woods attacked Olympic had everyone buzzing. Woods' 1-under par performance was juxtaposed against the erratic efforts delivered by Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, who were paired with him.
After the trio had finished its 18 holes, Watson told reporters that "we saw the old Tiger today."
To the delight of fans, that same Tiger was back in action on Friday. Despite a rough patch in the middle of afternoon at Olympic, Woods headed for the clubhouse tied for the tournament lead with Jim Furyk at 1-under through 36 holes. Playing with the same discipline that he displayed in the first round, Tiger claimed the outright lead at one point only to fall back. Along the way, he was challenged by a 17-year-old amateur who briefly held the outright lead himself. Scroll down for a look back at Tiger's second round, the unlikely surge for the teenager Beau Hossler and Mickelson's fight to avoid the cut.
AS IT HAPPENED: TIGER'S ROUND 2: