Melbourne golfer Alistair Presnell top Aussie at US Open on debut

ALISTAIR Presnell produced a stunning performance on debut to be the leading Aussie at the US Open after the second round.

Alistair Presnell

VETERAN American golf scribes saw the name Alistair Presnell just one shot off the lead midway through the second round of the US Open and the minds started ticking over.

Presnell, Presnell - where have I heard that name before? Another major? No, the affable Aussie is on debut.

Then where? Australian golf fans and those close to the Melburnian would be quick to remind them of the 2010 World Golf Championships at Doral, Florida, where Presnell made his PGA Tour debut and blitzed home with an eight-under-par 64 to find himself tied sixth.

And, while he had some late troubles on the treacherous Olympic Club course today to drop from as high as third to a tie for 18th, Presnell remained the leading Australian at the halfway point at four-over - five behind leaders Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and David Toms.

Now he will try to channel the memories of Doral.

"This is awesome," Presnell said after finishing his second round to the cheers of a vocal gallery, including his mother Fiona.

"It's a perfect place to be, really. Not too far back, but not in the main focus.

"Hopefully, I can do something similar to what I did at Doral.

"This gives me a huge amount of confidence going forward.

"It's my first major, I've made the cut and I'm still not far out of an opportunity to do something big over the weekend."

Presnell might well have been closer to the lead if not for a rushed bathroom break as he made the turn.

He played the back nine first, and the walk from the 18th to the first is long and very much uphill - leaving him little time to do his business.

"I ran in there and ran out. I was probably stiff, huffing and puffing, when I hit my tee shot on the first," he said.

The ball sailed into a terrible lie and, by the end of the hole, he was writing down a double-bogey six.

He had three more bogeys in the next five holes.

"It snowballed a little, but I didn't feel that out of place," he said.

Woods fired an even-par 70 to join veterans and fellow major winners Furyk (69) and Toms (70) at one-under 139 - two clear of John Peterson (70), Nicolas Colsaerts (69), Graeme McDowell (72) and Michael Thompson (75), who share fourth.

An early birdie to take the outright lead did nothing but reinforce the view that Tiger the major hunter is back in vogue.

But three bogeys on the trot not long after had many pulling out the knives.

Rather than implode, or kick clubs, or show frustration as had often been the case in the past four years, Woods found another gear, stayed patient and pulled back two birdies.

John Senden was the next best Australian, six shots off the pace at five-over-par in a tie for 29th, while Jason Day (+6), Adam Scott (+6) and Rod Pampling (+7) all made it to the weekend.

Geoff Ogilvy (+10), Brendan Jones (+11), Anthony Summers (+12) and Aaron Baddeley (+14) failed to make the cut.