Mikes Diary - Round 2 - 2008 US Open

I thought the second round of the U.S. Open might provide some better conditions for me, but I'm not sure that was necessarily the case. When I started out Friday morning, it was a little overcast so there was some moisture still in the greens, but it was still breezy and I think the wear and tear of all the golfers tramping through the greens over the past week has started to take its toll.

These greens are poa annua which is a type of grass that can get quite bumpy. Add to that all the footprints and spike marks and it's tough to make putts. With all the bumps, it can be hard to start your ball on the right line and if it does get started on line, when it dies, the little bumps make it seem like a pinball machine, bouncing it all over the place. You never really get a straight, true line into the cup if you are not firm with the speed. Usually when you get inside of eight feet on the greens - even at a U.S. Open - you feel you can make them. But here, that's not always the case.

My ball striking was better on Friday compared to the first round where I was really getting crossed up. On the back side especially, I hit a lot of nice iron shots, many quite close to the hole. But I just couldn't buy a putt - in fact I didn't make birdie today. 

I don't feel that I'm far away from a good round out here. If I can just put everything together, I think that I can really have a good score. The way I look at it, I'm just 18 holes away from getting right back in this thing. Today, for instance, I wasn't that far away. If I'd made a few of those putts, I could have built some momentum and perhaps got on a bit of a roll. The course is tough, but I think a low one is still out there. Miguel Angel Jiminez showed that with a five under, so you know it's there if you can just get everything going right.

Of course you also need to have breaks and today I certainly didn't get any of those. On the 13th hole, the par 5 where I made double yesterday. I got a  bad break. I hit a great drive down the fairway, laid up to my number and when I got up to my ball, it was in a divot. There I was in the fairway with a wedge in my hand and almost no hope of getting the ball close.

Same thing happened on 18, another par 5. I hit my tee shot in the rough, but managed to get it down the fairway to within wedge distance and walked up to find my ball in a divot.

After playing in this tournament enough, you expect things like that. You just have to accept itt and move on, not let it stick to you. Everyone is going to get similar breaks - you just hope they even out for you at the end of the week.

Tomorrow is another chance to put it all together and I hope I can do that and get myself back into this tournament.

As always, thanks for your support.

Mike