PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — If you were told a player from Northern Ireland would be taking the U.S. Open lead into the weekend at Pebble Beach, you would have bet more than a few quid on Rory McIlroy, the young star in the making.
You likely wouldn’t have thought of Graeme McDowell.
Yet, while McIlroy was flaming out of the tournament at 10-over par, there was his countryman McDowell after his second round, standing atop the leaderboard at 3-under par for the championship, two shots clear of his nearest competitors.
“I’d be lying if I hadn’t thought about picking up the trophy on Sunday afternoon,” McDowell said after shooting a 3-under-par 68. “I think that’s only natural. But I’m trying to be very realistic about it, as well. I’m really trying to put no expectations on myself this weekend because, A) I know there’s a lot of great players out here, and B) this golf course is extremely difficult.”
Not far behind McDowell is a pretty good list of players with strong resumes, including Ernie Els, who has won two U.S. Opens, Dustin Johnson, who has won the last two AT&T Pro Am events at Pebble Beach, and 18-year-old Japanese wunderkind Ryo Ishikawa.
All three are two shots back at 1-under par.
Tiger Woods, who shot 72 yesterday, stands at 4-over par, seven shots behind McDowell, but sounded confident about his chances to make a move on the weekend.
“I feel very good. I’m right there and this is a long haul,” Woods said.
“I’m not seeing the battle with the rest of the field; I’m seeing the battle with myself and the golf course,” McDowell said. “I really, really feel like I’m playing the golf course really disciplined. I feel like all facets of my game are in good shape. I’m probably as ready to go into the weekend of a major as I’ve ever been.
“Is this weekend my weekend? I have no idea, but I’ll certainly be giving it my best shot. If I get a sniff Sunday afternoon I’ll be ready for it. Winning major championships is what I’ve dreamed of all my life and what I’ve practiced for. Over the seven or eight years I’ve been playing in them there’s no doubt I’ve been learning more and more about myself and what it takes to win a major. I feel I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be. That doesn’t mean my name’s on the trophy Sunday afternoon. There’s a hell of a lot of work to do. This course is ready to bite you any second.”
That’s exactly what Woods is banking on as he tries to make up a seven-shot deficit.
“The U.S. Open is not going to get easier as the week goes on — especially on the weekend,” Woods said.
McDowell, who began his round on the 10th hole, jump-started his day when he drained a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 14 and his round gained momentum from there.
He had it to 4-under par at one point, but a three-putt bogey on No. 9 gave one shot back and kept all the 7-over-par players in the tournament due to the 10-shot cut rule.
“I’m generally very happy with 3-under par,” McDowell said. “It’s great to be in position going into the weekend of a major championship. That’s what I practice for. I’ve got two more tough days on this golf course, and I’m just really trying to stay disciplined and stay calm and keep doing what I’m doing.”
McDowell, too, is trying to ride the momentum from his recent European Tour win at Celtic Manor in Wales, where the Ryder Cup will be played in October.
“That win has been a huge springboard for me — a springboard of confidence, springboard for a good summer,” he said. “I’m trying to use the momentum that I had in Wales. I feel very relaxed and very under control of what I’m doing, just trying to feed off that confidence.”