US Open Golf 2012 Leaderboard: Unknown Contenders Sure to Continue Strong Start

The U.S. Open is typically a tournament won by the best golfers in the world, but sometimes the man who finishes atop the field comes as a surprise.

Angel Cabrera in 2007, Lucas Glover in 2009 and Graeme McDowell in 2010 weren't favored to beat some of the best golfers in the world, but they did, nonetheless.

Tiger Woods is three shots behind the leader, but he's one of the only big name golfers in the top-20.

That leaves room for some dark horse candidates. Not just sleeper picks, but relatively unknown golfers who will be looking to continue their strong start at the Olympic Club.

Here we'll give you three such contenders.

Michael Thompson

Thompson went into the clubhouse leading the field after the opening round, where he still resides.

He had the best round of any player who has played so far despite his poor start. Thompson bogeyed three of his first six holes, with a birdie mixed in for good measure. We saw most players struggle with holes one through six, so it's no big deal that Thompson had some trouble.

The Tucson, Ariz., native made up for his transgressions by sinking four birdies on the back nine.

Thompson could prove to be a serious threat in this tournament. He was the 2007 U.S. Amateur runner-up at the Olympic Club, so he knows how to play this course as well as anybody.

He buried four birdies in his final eight holes. His final putt of the day, on the 18th, brought admiration from the grandstand as the spectators were glad to see the unheralded golfer finish on a high not.

Look for Thompson to continue playing well, especially after the dominance he showed on the back nine.

Jae-Bum Park

Like Thompson, Park started at hole No. 1 and suffered the consequences like many of his competitors did.

He bogeyed three of his first five holes but birdied seven and 13 to get back to one-over. He did well to take some advantage of the easier back nine and birdied the par-three 13th. However, he bogeyed the following hole to fall back to two-over.

Park made his money on the 522-yard, par-five 17th, which he eagled to grab some confidence before heading into the clubhouse.

A strong finish can do wonders for a lesser-known contender who is just four shots back of the leader with three rounds to play.

Robert Karlsson

Those who follow the sport closely may know Karlsson, but the more casual fan probably couldn't pick him out of a lineup.

Karlsson finished at an even par for the day, sitting within striking distance of Thompson on the leader board. Even par doesn't jump out at you, but the Olympic Club is one of the toughest courses that the field has seen in recent tournaments.

The course has a total distance of 7,170 yards. That's perfect for the 6'5" Karlsson, who can use his driving ability and distance to his advantage more than many other competitors in the tournament.

There's no reason why Karlsson can't hang around until late in the weekend.

Top-10 Golfers Thus Far

Position	Player	Score
1	Michael Thompson	-4
T2	Graeme McDowell	-1
T2	Nick Watney	-1
T2	Justin Rose	-1
T2	Tiger Woods	-1
T2	David Toms	-1
T7	Jim Furyk	E
T7	Matt Kuchar	E
T7	Ian Poulter	E
T7	Beau Hossler	E
T7	Jae-Bum Park	E
T7	Jason Bohn	E
T7	Robert Karlsson	E
T7	Alistair Presnell	E

Here's a link to the full leaderboard.