La Jolla, CA (My Sportsbook) - Tiger Woods made a birdie run and pulled within one shot of the lead. Phil Mickelson had a hard time keeping up.
And so the much-hyped pairing of the world's top-ranked golfers won't go past Day 2 of the U.S. Open.
Woods made five birdies after the turn, walked off tough Torrey Pines with an electric 30 on his second-nine holes and finished off a three-under 68 that left him within striking distance of the second-round lead held by Stuart Appleby.
The only thing keeping Woods from sharing the lead was Appleby's near-50 foot birdie putt at the 18th hole, which put the Australian at three-under 139.
Appleby, seeking his first major championship, had a 70.
Woods' two-under 140 total was his lowest 36-hole score in the last five U.S. Opens. He will head to the weekend in good position to challenge for his third win in this major championship, making the charge on a course where he has won six times as a professional.
"This golf course is only going to get harder and more difficult," said Woods. "It doesn't take much, just a couple of mistakes here and there and this golf course will bite you quick. And you just have to hang in there and stay patient."
Mickelson, after beginning the day a shot ahead of Woods, managed only a 75 in the second round and was seven shots off the lead at four-over 146. There were more than 30 players between him and Appleby.
Rocco Mediate and Robert Karlsson were tied for second place with Woods at 140. Mediate, the 45-year-old five-time PGA Tour winner, shot a 71. Karlsson, a seven-time European Tour champion, had a 70.
Davis Love III, forced to qualify for this U.S. Open, shot a 69 and stood alongside Lee Westwood (71) and D.J. Trahan (69) at one-under 141.
Woods, playing competitively for the first time since he had knee surgery after the Masters, started with two bogeys on his first three holes.
He made up the early lost strokes with an eagle at the par-five 13th -- his fourth hole -- where he knocked a five-wood from the fairway to just eight feet and rolled in the putt.
The gallery -- favoring the San Diego native Mickelson and his charge for a first U.S. Open title -- cheered heartily at the prospect of Woods finally picking his game up.
"I was just hanging around, hanging around," said Woods.
His momentum was stalled by bogeys at the 16th and 17th, but the two-time U.S. Open champion rebounded again with long birdie putts on the first two holes of the front nine, including one from 25 feet.
The putts touched off Woods' spectacular finish.
He rolled in a 20-footer for birdie at No. 4 to get back to even-par, then drained an 18-footer with two feet of break at No. 5 to move under-par for the first time since midway through his first round.
At his last hole, the par-five ninth, Woods chipped to about five feet from the rough behind the green to set up a closing birdie. Around the same time, Appleby rolled in his long putt.
"I was just trying to get back to even-par for the tournament," Woods said. "All of a sudden, they started flying in from everywhere."
Mickelson lost a least one shot Friday based on a decision he made before the tournament started.
Lefty played again without a driver in his bag -- he's carrying a long three- wood and an extra wedge -- and the difference was clear at the 599-yard 13th.
Woods hit driver onto the fairway to set up his eagle, while Mickelson needed three shots to reach the green after teeing off with his 11.5-degree three- wood. Mickelson two-putted for a par.
Of course, he may have also gained shots by carrying five wedges in his bag.
After Mickelson hit an errant approach shot over the 15th green, he avoided a double-bogey with a delicate chip from the rough that landed within tap-in range for a bogey.
At the par-three third -- which was playing nearly 200 yards -- Mickelson sent his tee shot over the green and down a steep hill. But he was able to flop a wedge shot up onto the green, 30 feet past the hole.
He rolled in the par-saving putt -- as good a par as anyone has made this week -- to stay within four shots of the lead at the time. But he couldn't keep up with Woods.
"It was a tough day for me today," said Mickelson. "I thought that the course was set up as fair as I've ever seen it. If you play well you can shoot a number, and I didn't hit enough fairways today. I've got to hit the balls in the fairway. When I do I'm able to play the course effectively. I'm able to make some birdies, make easy pars. When I don't, it's been very tough."
Appleby -- battling with Mediate and Karlsson for the lead -- had four birdies and three bogeys in his round. He recovered from back-to-back bogeys at the 11th and 12th with a birdie on the 13th that gave him a spot atop the leaderboard.
Admitting he wasn't trying to make his long birdie putt at the 18th, Appleby said he was just thinking about the typical stuff a player goes through looking at a 50-footer.
"And then probably a couple of seconds out, I thought, 'Well, this thing could go in,'" said Appleby. "And then the crowd does their thing, and it sort of all adds to what looks like a good putt."
His closing birdie at the 18th not only handed the Australian his first 36- hole lead at a major, it knocked the 11 players sitting on plus-eight over the cut line. Everyone at seven-over par or better -- those within 10 shots of the lead -- made the cut.
Justin Rose, K.J. Choi, Charles Howell III, Colin Montgomerie and defending champion Angel Cabrera all missed the cut. Cabrera, who became the second Argentine to win a major last year at Oakmont, finished at 13-over par.
Kevin Streelman and Justin Hicks, the unlikely first round co-leaders, struggled but finished inside the cut line. Streelman had a 77 and fell six shots back, while Hicks shot an 80 and dropped nine strokes off the lead.
