A round up of today's other US Open stories in brief...
By the Numbers
13 - With the tee on the 13th hole pushed back to make it a long par five of 614 yards on Friday the 13th, Jerry Kelly came up with a novel way to tempt fate: he had the number "13" inscribed on to his bag.
50,000,000 - The USGA is expected to generate up to $50 (€32.5) million in profits from this week's US Open, making it one of the most successful championships of all time. Total revenue for the tournament should be close to $100 (€65.2) million, including estimates of $20 (€13.1) million in ticket sales, $15 (€9.8) million in corporate hospitality, $15 (€9.8) million in merchandising and $5 (€3.3) million in food and beverage. Expenses are reckoned to be in the region of $50 (€32.7) million.
75 - The first round scoring average on Thursday came in at 75.61. The back nine played marginally tougher than the front, 37.94 to 37.67.
334 - The average yardage for JB Holmes' drives, who led the field in driving distance.
Garcia points to changed greens
WHEN SERGIO Garcia knocked in a birdie putt on the seventh green yesterday, he jokingly raised his arms to the golfing gods in thanks.
It had ended a run of six straight pars, with some of his birdie attempts grazing the cup.
"The greens are as different as night and day. On Thursday, they'd footprints all over them . . . but they were much easier to putt on today," said Garcia, who shot a second round 70 for 146, four over, to get himself very much back into the tournament.
It was a sign of the new maturity from Garcia. In his first round, the Spaniard stood at six-over at after seven holes . . . yet he showed fortitude to cover the remaining 29 holes in two-under. We definitely like the new Garcia better.
Streelman learns valuable lesson
REALITY HAS a habit of biting, as Kevin Streelman - who shared the first round lead - discovered at Torrey Pines yesterday as the course that gave with one hand on Thursday took back yesterday.
In following an opening 68 with a 77, a nine-stroke difference, the American lost his lofty position at the head of affairs while still managing to stay in touching distance of contention.
It didn't take long for Streelman to feel the course's wrath in the second round, as he ran up a triple bogey six on the par three to almost immediately give all of his shots back to the course. His troubles came off the tee, where he found a greenside bunker and failed to get out at the first attempt.
"It was an unfortunate lie, I could have stepped (on the ball) and it wouldn't have been that bad. I should have hit it a foot to the left and tried to get up and down from there," he said with the benefit of hindsight. He didn't, and ran up a triple-bogey from which he never recovered. "That's a situation you face in the US Open, and you need to take your medicine and just do the best with what you're given."
Lofty ambition
LIAR, LIAR, pants on fire? Phil Mickelson, whose strategy of not putting a driver into his bag for the test at Torrey Pines raised some eyebrows, insisted the Callaway three-wood he used instead was just a regular, standard edition.
Not so it seems, certainly as far as playing partner Tiger Woods is concerned. "It's a strong three-wood. It's probably closer to 11-degrees (loft), so it's kind of like an old brassie . . . so, even if it's not a driver, it is a very strong three-wood."
