It was a bright, beautiful day for doing anything else in the Pittsburgh area Friday, but it was a gloomy, ugly day for the players doomed to play the Oakmont Country Club.
A tedious, two-day slog, comprised of more than 10 hours of punishing golf, left the U.S. Open field reeling. Put to a vote, the majority of players who made the cut probably would just as soon have fast-forwarded to next week’s tournament in Hartford rather than subject themselves to another 36 holes on this torture track.
Friday’s average score of nearly 77 on the par-70 course told the grisly story. Angel Cabrera somehow managed to avoid most of the carnage, shooting a 71 to take the second-round lead at even-par 140. At even par, he is one stroke ahead of Bubba Watson, and two in front of Aaron Baddeley, Justin Rose, Stephen Ames and Niclas Fasth. First-round leader Nick Dougherty ballooned to a 77 and is at 5 over.
Cabrera put several players, including Phil Mickelson, out of their misery with a birdie on the ninth hole, his last hole of the day because he started on the back nine. At 11 under, Mickelson was headed for the weekend under the Open’s 10-shot rule until Cabrera put him 11 shots back.
“I did not knock out Mickelson,” Cabrera said. “Mickelson knocked himself out.”
Tiger Woods did advance, but he struggled to post a 74 and dropped to 5 over. He wasn’t overly disappointed even though it took him two shots to lash his way out of the high rough on the par-4 second.
“I don’t know what the average score was, but I think I shot under par,” Woods said. “It was playing hard out there. The greens got really quick.”
Just how quick?
Woods said of the first green, “Thank God I have spikes on because I think I would have slipped off the back.”
If there was one glimmer of hope Friday, it came from Paul Casey. He bounced back from an opening-round 77 to fashion a 66 somehow, more than 10 shots better than the field average. He vaulted from a probable trip home to squarely in contention, only three shots back.
Considering the tough conditions, the round brought comparisons to Johnny Miller’s 63 at Oakmont in 1973. Though Friday comes up short in score and historical impact, it still resonated with his fellow players.
Casey, who started on the back nine, finished on the ninth hole, which is connected to the putting green. As several players were preparing for their afternoon round, they applauded and congratulated Casey for his fine showing.
“They are probably thinking, ‘How on Earth did I shoot that?’
” Casey said. “I’m still a bit stunned. But I hope it gives some of the guys hope. Show them that it can be done.”
Casey then added one caveat, “I certainly don’t want [the United States Golf Association] to make it any tougher.”
It is hard to imagine the blue coats could make it more difficult. With no rain in the forecast, Friday’s round reinforced pre-tournament predictions that the winning score could be as high as 6 to 8 over.
Cabrera hardly seems to be a likely candidate to become the first player from Argentina to win the U.S. Open. The 37-year-old veteran never has won on the PGA Tour. But nobody played any better the first two days.
“I think I have a very good chance,” Cabrera said through an interpreter. “So the tournament starts tomorrow. I have to play well over the weekend.”
Playing well would seem to be a relative concept here. Woods says the key is being able to remain patient. The way this course is playing, it will take an incredibly patient player.
In assessing how tough Oakmont is, Woods laid it out in a way all golfers could understand.
“If you’re a 10-handicapper, there is no way you’re breaking 100 out there,” Woods said. “If you played all out on every shot, there is no way. You just have to be so patient, and on top of that, you have to be strong coming out of the rough and you have to have unbelievable touch on the greens. Most 10-handicappers I know don’t have that.”
Ditto, it seems, for many of the world top players when it comes to Oakmont.
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esherman@tribune.com
