Nick Watney is having a fairly difficult first nine holes in his U.S. Open. Coming into the 17th hole, which was his 8th hole of the day, he was three-over par. Incredibly, he sunk an albatross on that hole, becoming the second player to hole out a double eagle in a major this year. He's now one-over par.
Michael Thompson still leads the field by a wide margin. The course hasn't been any easier this afternoon than it was in the morning, and it seems unlikely that anyone is going to catch him. There is, however, a solid group of players tied for second at one-under. Tiger Woods finished his round a long time ago with that score, and he's since been joined by David Toms, Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and Ryo Ishikawa. That's four major winners and one of the best young golfers in the world.
It's been a rough day for the British contingent that's currently dominating the world golf rankings. Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy are both three-over, while Luke Donald is four-over.
For a complete scoreboard for the U.S. Open, please visit the U.S. Open's official tournament site.
For more on the 2012 U.S. Open Championship, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay, or visit SB Nation's golf news hub. Be sure to head over to USOpen.com for even more coverage from the event.