PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Graeme McDowell made sure he could enjoy Friday afternoon at Pebble Beach by taking the lead Friday morning in the U.S. Open.
“It’s going to be a tough weekend,” said the former University of Alabama at Birmingham golfer from Northern Ireland. “This course is very mentally demanding, so you have to save the energy a little bit.”
Adding to McDowell’s challenge today and Sunday will be the fact that Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els — who have combined to win seven major titles — are lurking two shots behind his 3-under par 139 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Two-time defending AT&T National Pro-Am champion Dustin Johnson and 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa, who fired a 58 in a Japan tour event last month, also are two shots back. Alex Cejka, Paul Casey, Brandon de Jonge and Jerry Kelly are three back of McDowell.
“It’s been such a long time since I won one of these, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said Els, who won U.S. Opens in 1994 and 1997. “Are the wins going to help? Sure, it will help. It’s been so long and I’ve been in all kinds of situations. You’ve just got to plug along and see what happens on the back nine on Sunday.”