LOS ANGELES • Gary Woodland, who could not muster a top-10 finish in his first 27 Majors, believes his improved short game has helped him take a two-shot lead into the weekend at Pebble Beach as he eyes a US Open title that once seemed impossible.
The 35-year-old American, ranked 25th in the world, is a three-time winner on the US PGA Tour, but no one has ever been tempted to tag him with the "best player to never win a Major" label.
One of the PGA Tour's big hitters, Woodland ranks 11th in driving distance and greens in regulation but his work on the greens has not kept pace and he sits well back at 179th in putts per round.
He admitted it once rankled to be known only for his booming drives, and said improvements in his short game and his putting have made him a contender at the PGA Championship the past two years and, now, at the US Open.
He had the 36-hole lead in the PGA Championship at Bellerive last year before settling for a tie for sixth. This year, he was joint-eighth at the tournament in Bethpage Black last month.
"It's nice to be putting the results up so people can change the narrative a little bit," he said. "Short game has come around. I've relied on my ball-striking my whole career. The short game and putting has kind of held me back.
"But at the PGA last year I made a lot of putts, especially early in the week.
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2ND ROUND
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(selected, USA unless stated, Pebble Beach - par 71)
133 Gary Woodland 68 65 135 Justin Rose (Eng) 65 70
136 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 66 70
137 Aaron Wise 66 71, Rory McIlroy (Nir) 68 69
138 Brooks Koepka 69 69, Matt Kuchar 69 69
139 Adam Scott (Aus) 70 69, Jon Rahm (Esp) 69 70, Sergio Garcia (Esp) 69 70, Xander Schauffele 66 73
140 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 68 72, Dustin Johnson 71 69
141 Li Haotong (Chn) 71 70, Phil Mickelson 72 69, Jordan Spieth 72 69
142 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 69 73, Tiger Woods 70 72, Paul Casey (Eng) 70 72
143 Marc Leishman (Aus) 69 74, Jason Day (Aus) 70 73, Rickie Fowler 66 77, Bryson DeChambeau 69 74
144 Patrick Cantlay 73 71, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 71 73
MISSED CUT
146 Justin Thomas 73 73, Tony Finau 74 72
149 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 75 74
150 Bubba Watson 75 75
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
"It was nice to finish in the top 10 and get that monkey off the back."
The improvements he made on his short game has also given him the freedom to work on other things.
He said: "Now it's more about learning the speed, learning the greens, making some adjustments in that aspect."
On Friday, he had six birdies without a bogey for a 65 to match the best US Open round at Pebble Beach, achieved first by Tiger Woods in 2000 and equalled by Justin Rose on Thursday.
His nine-under 133 halfway total was one stroke better than what Woods posted on the way to his crushing 15-shot triumph in 2000.
He kept his nerve at the end of the day on the toughest holes, saving par from the greenside rough at the eighth before an unlikely closing birdie at the ninth where his tee shot was in a fairway divot.
The reward was a two-stroke lead over England's Rose, the overnight leader who fired a 70 for 135. Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa had seven birdies and six bogeys in a wild 70 for 136.
Four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and American Aaron Wise (71) were on 137.
Northern Irishman McIlroy made a mess of the 13th and 14th with bogey and double-bogey respectively, but bounced back with birdies at the next two for a 69.
He said: "To do all that hard work over the first 12 holes, and then to lose it in two holes was disappointing.
Woods had a bogey-bogey finish in his 72 for 142 total, but insisted he was "still in the ball game".
"Not a very good finish," the 15-time Major champion said. "But we've got a long way to go."
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
US OPEN
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