OAKMONT, Pa. -- I wonder which is worse: getting beat up for 36 straight holes or getting beat up for 16 holes then coming back in the morning for the last two and getting the rest of the day off before having to come back for the 18-hole beating you dodged because of weather? Which also means that for guys in both groups who make the cut, more beating is coming!
I'd love to give sympathy in either case, but it's our national championship -- not a pity party. Remember, I have to grade each guy only on what he did today regardless of the number of holes played. So here are Friday's grades.
Grade: D
World ranking: No. 1
Score: 76 (and -1 through 15 in Round 2); +5 overall
They say you can't win a tournament on day one, but you can lose it. Well Day may have lost the U.S. Open on his first day. Seven bogeys and a double versus four birdies, three of which came in the partial second round. I wanted to give Jason an F, but he's trying so hard to fight back that his effort makes me refuse to fail him. Still, with three holes left on his second round, his hopes for a U.S. Open title are gone.
Grade: C
World ranking: No. 2
Score: 72; + 2 overall
Spieth had to finish seven holes this morning. He hit three of five possible fairways and suffered one three-putt, while carding two bogeys and a birdie. For me at this tournament it's about not losing after the first round. Spieth didn't lose.
Grade: F
World ranking: No. 3
Score: 77; +7 overall
McIlroy bogeyed the last three holes ... and he had to play only five holes total. He is now seriously behind the eight ball if he hopes to be around for the paydays (Rounds 3 and 4). On a brighter note, this shuts up all those people who say Rory plays well only on soft U.S. Open courses.
Grade: C
World ranking: No. 4
Score: 69; -1 overall
Four holes, one bogey and zero birdies seems pretty solid and it was; his only bogey, after all, came from a three-putt. Nothing special, nothing catastrophic -- which for four holes is satisfactory.
Grade: B-
World ranking: No. 5
Score: 76; +6 overall
Six holes shooting even par when you hit only two of four possible fairways is impressive. A birdie at the 234-yard par-3 16th is what gets him the upgrade from a C to a B-minus.
Grade: A+
World ranking: No. 6
Score: 67-69; -4 overall
DJ missed his first two fairways in Round 1 and didn't miss another one until his ninth hole of the second round! Thirty-six holes is a grind at a normal PGA Tour event; doing it at the U.S. Open while running up to the top of the leaderboard? ... C'mon, y'all, this was a no-brainer grade.
Grade: F
World ranking: No. 7
Score: 69 (+10 through 16 in Round 2); +9 overall
For someone who looks like he's in shape, the last 16 holes Stenson played at Oakmont were tired! You know how bad someone would have to be after shooting 69 for his first 18 holes to get a failing grade? Eight-bogeys-and-a-double-with-two-more-holes-left bad.
Grade: B-
World ranking: No. 8
Score: 71 (and -1 through 15 in Round 2); even overall
A grind. That's the word most players respond with when you ask them what playing in our national championship is like. And that's exactly what Adam is doing through his first 33 holes. His stats are solid -- 73 percent of fairways and 73 percent of greens. If only that putter would get a little warm. But if he hangs around at even par for the next two days ... Hmmm?!?
Grade: C-
World ranking: No. 9
Score: 75; +5 overall
Those first 12 holes on Thursday must have been a swift kick in the rear for Willett; he played the last six 1 over with one bogey. The minus is because I expected at least one birdie in the final six holes, as perfect as the course was that he got. I'm holding Willett, as the Masters champ, to a slightly higher standard than most.
Grade: D
World ranking: No. 10
Score: 72 (+4 through 16 in Round 2); +6 overall
The first 18 holes were manageable, even finishing at 2 over. But despite three birdies on the second go-round (which still has two holes left) the seven-bogey crash-and-burn is just not acceptable. As a former winner of this championship, Rose understands the patience and persistence it takes to contend, and even win. The fact he seemed burned out before the second 18 concluded is a letdown to all of us.
Zach Edmondson
Grade: A
World ranking: No. 1802
Score: 89-77; +26 overall
How you gonna give the guy who finished DFL (Dead Freakin' Last) an A grade? Because he never quit. And because you never heard of him before this grade. I guarantee you this dude, on Wednesday evening, dreamed of being the Cinderella who won the U.S. Open. That dream crashed before he was done shooting 47 on his first nine holes and 89 for 18. But guess what? He's gonna be able to tell his grandkids he made a few birdies (four) at the hardest course during the hardest tournament ... because he didn't quit.
Grade: F
World ranking: No. 20
Score: 80-71; +11 overall
The 20th-ranked player in the world should not be shooting 80, even at Oakmont. But that's what Snedeker did in his first round, while playing the only two par-5s on the course at 5 over. I'd say valiant effort for the second 18 holes, but I can't see through my disappointment.
Grade: F
World ranking: No. 17
Score: 74 (and +3 through 16 in Round 2); +7 overall
I admit it. I took a sip of the Phil Kool-Aid after his second-place finish last week in Memphis ... and it gave me food poisoning. The worst part about this long day of golf for Lefty is that he hit 20 of 26 fairways! That's 77 percent -- and 20 percentage points better than the field. So how do you hit only 18 of 34 greens?! Not even Phil's short game can save him that many times. Two holes to play Saturday morning, and he has to make at least one birdie for a chance to stick around.