The 2nd Day at Pebble Beach

Not so fast, says Phil Mickelson. With four birdies on the first six holes, the second ranked player in the world skyrocketed up the leaderboard to 1 under. He is currently two shots behind Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell. His 66 is the lowest round of the tournament, catapulting Lefty into prime position to grab his first U.S. Open.

Ernie Els is also at 1 under for the championship after a 3 under 68. Formerly ranked 3rd in the world, the South African has won 3 major championship including 2 U.S. Opens in 1994 and 1997, but his game recently has been lacking. Many analysts point the accident Els suffered in 2005, tearing his ACL. They believe that only time could heal the mental wounds caused by sudden jolts of pain. This theory is weighted by Els' solid play in 2010. He has already won a tournament, and Els has contended throughout the PGA Tour season.

For the first two rounds, Els played with Woods and the world's fourth ranked player,

Lee Westwood. He certainly did not falter in both players' shadows, a sign that Els has returned to form mentally as well as physically. At 6 foot 3 inches, the "Big Easy" seems to have regained his knack to shine under pressure.

Ryo Ishikawa, with a round of 70, continues to be consistent at Pebble Beach. Although a teenager has never won a major championship, I would not be stunned if he were the first.

Fellow South African Tim Clark sits at 2 over following consecutive rounds of 72. He really has excelled on Tour this season, finally mastering his pot belly putting technique to complement his world class ball striking. At the Player's Championship, Clark exploded from the field to capture the title. With McDowell only 5 strokes ahead, he could be a factor as the tournament progresses. Nevertheless, as hard as the TPC Sawgrass can be, Pebble Beach is a completely different entity. It very well might be the world's most difficult course, especially when the wind is gusting.

Not to be overly ambitious yet Tom Watson played quite well in his second round. The 1982 U.S. Open Champion at Pebble Beach shot a 7 over 78 in round 1, but followed with a 1 under 70 today. The 60 year old Watson should find himself within the top 20 come the tournament's end, but another win along the shores of the Monterrey Bay seems unlikely for the Kansas native. It would be a feel good story, and perhaps one of redemption for Watson, after handing the 2009 British Open away to Stewart Cink. Still, a top 20 finish coupled with a tied for 18th at Augusta leaves people wondering whether Saint Andrews and the British Open could be Waton's 6th British Open.

Tiger Woods turned in another lackluster performance on Friday, shooting a 1 over 72. He enters Saturday 8 shots behind McDowell, with his chances at major championship number 15 dwindling before his eyes. Woods has not putted well all week, telling the media on Thursday that the greens were "some of the worst he has ever seen." Odd comments for Woods, considering the greens, which are composed primarily of poe anna grass, are favorites of the world's number one ranked player. He excelled on similar poe anna greens in 2008 at Torrey Pines as well as in 2000 on these very greens.

-DR