US Open Golf 2012 Leaderboard: Early Play Points to Lower Scores in 2nd Round

We knew headed into the 2012 US Open that the Olympic Club in San Francisco was a difficult course, but this is just getting ridiculous.

Headed into the second round on Friday, a grand total of six golfers had shot under par. As of this writing, just five golfers in the early pairings on Friday shot under par.

If early play tells us anything on Friday, it's that this is going to be yet another relatively frustrating day for most of the field. The projected cut line is already at five-over-par. Phil Mickelson shot a six-over-par 76 on Thursday, and he still can make the cut with a mere one-under-par. Of course, shooting a one-under-par seems to be asking for a lot at the 2012 US Open.

Leader Michael Thompson, who came out of nowhere to shoot a four-under-par 66 on Thursday, faces a tough task moving forward. Not only must he hold off more experienced golfers like Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, it certainly doesn't appear it's getting any easier overall at the Olympic Club.

In the 1998 US Open at the Olympic Club, Lee Janzen won with an even-par 280. That's almost unheard of in a major championship. Rory McIlroy won the 2011 US Open at Congressional with a 16-under-par 268, and 19 other golfers shot under par in the tournament.

What does this all mean?

Well, the eventual champion this year may actually be the golfer who is the most consistent, and it wouldn't be a shock if he won with a one-under-par or a two-under-par.

Shooting for the stars is all fine and dandy, but golfers who take too many risks on Friday at the Olympic Club may find themselves slide down the leader-board rather quickly.

Follow me on Twitter. We can talk about golf together.