If you just want to watch the feature group of Sergio, McDowell and Furyk, you can do so here. I found it exceedingly difficult to watch ESPN's telecast yesterday because of Chris Berman and Curtis Strange... I like to hear a little commentary, but I had to mute them. It's a shame, because I really like Scott Van Pelt, who Berman talks over. SVP worked at The Golf Channel when I worked at Links Magazine and we bumped into each other a couple of times, seemed like a great guy.

This feature group could be playing together the rest of the weekend. They are each grinders and hit some wonky shots, but they get it in the hole. Each looks to be a bonafide contender.

In other news, Lee Westwood is -1 on his round and suddenly t20. Right in the middle of this thing after being +4 thru six holes yesterday. Long way to go. 

Luke is even on his round and needs to shot at least 69 to potentially make the cut, which I'm guessing is going to be +8 when all is said and done today. 

The greens are already fast and they are really going to dry out this afternoon, so Tiger's going to have his work cut out for him.

The feature group is plodding along but nearing the two par-5's. Furyk and McDowell are +1 today, Sergio even. Sergio probably looks the least solid of the group so far -- not very comfortable. But he's grinding.

One to watch today: Hunter Mahan. He shot 72 yesterday starting on No. 8, and he's even par thru four holes (1-4) this morning. If he can escape 5-6 without a bogey -- meaning he would've played the most difficult opening stretch of six holes in US Open history in even par -- we could be looking at a great round. He's hit 11 of 17 fairways thru 22 holes and 72.7% of his greens. He's striping it.

 

... and Mahan BIRDIES No. 5. Watch out. No. 6 is brutal and he bogeyed it yesterday, but I'm sensing a special round from Hunter.

Right now there are 10 players under par for their Friday rounds. The course is playing as easy as it possibly can, so I don't see this as a great sign for the afternoon guys. Ernie Els is -2 thru six holes, but he started on No. 8 and is yet to play Nos. 1-6, where he was +2 yesterday, or No. 16, where he made a snowman on Thursday. It's a par-5, by the way.

Speaking of No. 16, they've moved the tees way up today and Sergio almost got there. Will see a few more birdies there today... it played to a stroke average of 5.51

on Thursday, the third most difficult hole on the course.

I'm off to grab lunch, settle in and get this thing rolling full-time. We do not have burger dogs nearby, unfortunately. Those pros get all the perks.

Well, I leave for 45 minutes and Hunter Mahan drops 31 spots in the standings after a triple on No. 6. Seems no one can escape that stretch of holes.

So, it appears Rickie Fowler is having some putting issues. He's doing a Bubba Watson 'hit and walk' today. I guess that's what happens when you open with triple and are +6 thru 10. He was under par for awhile on Thursday, but he's now in serious danger of missing the cut. It's bad for the Tour if he's not around, but less nuclear colors in the gallery isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are a lot of 40-year-olds who try to wear that stuff -- it's not just kids. Trust me, if you're over 35, you shouldn't wear a flat-brimmed canary yellow hat with a slime green golf shirt and matching belt. Just step away from the closet if that's what you're thinking.

In other news, Westwood is getting beat up by holes 1-6 just like everyone else. He's now +2 on the day, +5 overall.

I hope you had your DVR running, Michael Thompson. That piece ESPN just ran is likely to be a lifetime highlight. You have about another six hours of fame in this US Open -- it's going to be a brutal afternoon. I'm rooting for him, however.

Mahan is back at it, however -- two birdies in his last three holes. If you want to, umm, see what Hunter does in his spare time, check out his wife, Kandi, who is a former Cowboys cheerleader. Cute couple.

Now THAT was a bomb from Westwood. 50-footer. If you'd have told me on Wednesday that he'd putt like this -- 1.58 avg per green -- I would have told you he'd be winning by at least a shot or two. I mean, other than Michael Thompson, who I predicted would shoot 66 on Thursday. Let me try to find a link to that prediction... I know it's somewhere.

Sorry, I have to change the channel to something less annoying than Berman and Strange, like Jersey Shore. Somebody tell me when they're gone.

For those just joining, yes, indeed, Graeme McDowell is wearing bright pink pants. Do not adjust your sets. 

Here's my theory on this stuff: either these guys' wives negotiate their clothing deals and pick out the clothes for them, or they are trying to show the women who actually watch golf that they are sensitive dudes who have some style. Either way, the rest of us lose. We'll get that stuff as a gift and have to look at it on tv. Pink pants? C'mon. I can at least deal with the neon stuff, and some of it looks ok on the younger guys.

In other news, Johnny Miller just told us that hitting a putt 4-5 feet by the hole is 'not what you want to do.' (getting out my notepad here, hold on.)

Got to love Casey Martin. Good attitude, no excuses, can tell he's a competitor. And he's evidently available for Monday scrambles. 

I'd say this would be a great recruiting tool for him -- he's wearing all of that Oregon golf stuff -- but most people will realize it rains for about eight months out of the year in Eugene. Seattle-esque.

Let's do a quick leaderboard update: there are three people under par for the tourney, and none of them have teed off yet today. The USGA crew is smiling.

The big names:

Donald: +2 on the day / +11 overall

Westwood: +1 / +4, t37

Justin Rose: +4 / +3, t26

McDowell: +1 / E, t4

Fowler: +2000 / borderline MC

Stricker: +1 / +7

Dufner: +1 / +3, t26

Rory misses a couple of putts on the final two holes that would have gotten him within (what appears to be) the cutline. He finishes at +10 thru 36... the cut will probably come around +8 or +9. Disappointing result, but not completely unexpected. I had him 10th in my 10-Fer rankings, and didn't feel great about that. He's missed four of his last five cuts now, which is one better than what Mike Weir has done.

You know who just teed off? Michael Thompson. You know how I know? Because Dan Hicks told me. He's evidently leading the tournament.

You know it's going to be a hole-out when they come straight back from commercial to a guy hitting an approach shot. Stricker just jarred one on No. 16 to climb back into this thing. He's got the short par-5 17th coming up -- another birdie and he'll be at +4, which is currently t36.

Scratch that, Strick's hole out was on 17. But 18 is birdieable. Whatever, he was +7 a minute ago.

Lots of people pointing out on Twitter that the 10-shot rule is now gone from the Open, which would leave guys at +9 out from the weekend when Furyk finished at -1. Casey Martin is the most prominent of those.

Key point being it's top-60 and ties, too -- so if a lot of these afternoon guys blow up the cutline could move. But it's not looking good for the +9 guys right now -- that's t110. Let's look at it again in an hour, I bet they'll have moved up 10 spots. 

Also a good time to point out that you can follow me on Twitter. Tweet at me, I enjoy the banter.

Glad to see my fashion commentary got someone's attention: my wife. It even made her Tweet for just the third time this year. I'm hoping she and a bunch of her women friends are huddled around a computer screen, hanging on my every word. That's what I think is happening. 

Stricker birdies 18 to finish -2 on the day, +4 overall. I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, but he's hitting 50% of his fairways. Not good. Would be surprised if he finishes in the top 30.

The Big 3 are off, and it appears Lefty will be able to find his first tee shot today.

Peter Jacobsen with the unintentional comedy moment of the day so far, talking about amateur Bo Hossler: "He likes it hard and fast." Thanks, Pete. Sounds like you two have become close.

Lefty makes a bad bogey on No. 1, Tiger with a par. Thompson makes his first bogey of the day a couple of holes ahead. I think we have about 45 minutes until Furyk is the solo leader -- Tiger won't make it thru 1-6 today without some blood.

Miller with another gem: "The kryptonite of Tiger is allergies." Or strippers. Or three-foot putts. Or Hank Haney.

Almost wish the telecast/USGA would just give everyone a +2 and skip the first six holes. They're brutal. Easiest hole is No. 4, the par-4 that's only playing at a stroke average of 4.23. That stretch has the Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9th hardest holes.

The Thompson implosion is being televised. It's happening right now on No. 12. He has 30 feet for bogey, wouldn't be shocking to see him three-putt. Either way, Furyk is likely to be in the lead momentarily... and Thompson is making a mess of the easy holes. Could shoot 80 today.

Double bagel for Thompson, which means there's a four-way tie for first: Furyk, Woods, Toms, Thompson. The Toms group is in on the tee.

Tiger birdies the 220-yard par-3, goes to -2 and the solo lead. Well played. And now onto 5+ hours of ESPN gushing over him and Berman stumbling over himself. Sigh.

Nick Colsaerts is in great position at +1. We don't see him in the States very often, but he's been tearing up the Euro Tour and beat McDowell head-to-head in the Match Play a few weeks ago. Bombs it. And he's from Belgium... who is the most famous person from Belgium? Is it currently Nick Colsaerts?

Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium. Then there's Kim Klijsters for you tennis fans. But the correct answer is that the most famous Belgian is Jan Claude Van Damme, aka 'the Muscles from Brussels.' You can dive deep into famous Belgians here.

Thompson down to even. He's been leaking fluids worse than Joan Rivers. He just hit one close on the par-3, however -- call it a pit stop at the plastic surgeon's.

Tiger is looking rock solid. He's navigating the toughest holes on the course in -1 so far. Not ready to give him the trophy just yet, and he just hit it in the greenside bunker on No. 5, and he had issues out of the bunkers yesterday. 

David Toms has made two lengthy par putts to only drop one shot so far, but it's looking like it's only a matter of time before he plummets down the leaderboard.

One more update: The guys who at +9 on the outside of the cutline are gaining ground. They're t103 now and there are a lot of guys on the course who are +6 thru +8. I think +9 will end up being around 75-80th place by day's end. Still not good enough.

 

Here's what @Graeme_McDowell said about his pink pants. I guess he got some feedback about them. Pretty funny. This is why I love Twitter.