PGA Golf 2012: 10 Lessons Learned After the 1st 2 Rounds of the US Open

If the average golf fan were to look at the current leaderboard at the 2012 U.S. Open, they might assume that the tournament was only a few holes into regulation, considering that the scores seem so, well, mild. 

A score of minus-one is leading the tournament after two complete rounds? That couldn't be right. 

But alas, it is, and the scoreboard is only one of the many telling signs of just what a challenge that San Francisco's Olympic Club Golf Course really is. 

This Medusa of a course has given the pros a run for their money, and, more fittingly, their balls. The greens are fast as ice, the fairway slopes opposite the hills and the par for the course is only 70. Forget about birdies, just shoot par. Or, just shoot better than plus-eight. This was the shockingly high cut line after the first round. 

Taking place just a few short miles from the Bleacher Report headquarters, the scoreboard at the 2012 U.S. Open may currently look like a corporate outing's money pool, but it is anything but. 

10. 'Bubba Golf' Doesn't Work on Courses with so Much Slope

Bubba Watson wowed many across the country with his impressive win in this year's Master's Tournament. His unorthodox style of play, highlighted by monstrous driving that led to short approach shots with high irons, was exciting to watch. 

Bubba himself is a crowd favorite, and rightfully so; he is the definition of a "class act." Unfortunately for Bubba and for his fanbase, he will not be playing this weekend in San Francisco. 

The relatively short length of Olympic, coupled with its nasty slopes and hills, ate Bubba alive. He couldn't hit a fairway to save his life (only five of 14 in Round 1) and when he did, the speed of his ball would often carry it into an undesirable landing spot. 

Watson doesn't carry a 3-wood, opting often to hit his driver twice in the same hole on long par fives. For this tournament, at this course, that philosophy doesn't translate. 

9. Get to Know the Name Beau Hossler

Just so no one sounds as dumb as me trying to say "Bue," that's "Bo," and he may one day be the next golf superstar known to many by only his first name. (See: Tiger, Bubba, Phil, Rickie, etc.)

Hossler, the amateur, followed the golden rule at Olympic: he kept his cool. He swung easy, didn't get overly concerned with making birdies and simply tried to avoid follies. 

At only 17 years old, the mere fact that Hossler was even sniffing the leaderboard among golf's greatest players is amazing. The fact that he solely held the lead for a few holes on Friday is almost unfathomable. 

Hossler will be playing weekend golf at Olympic, and in his case, there is no losing. 

8. Accuracy Is Greater Than Power at Olympic

Given the relatively short length of Olympic, it doesn't do you much good to have a ton of distance off the tee if that distance is going to deter accuracy. 

The fairways are narrow and the holes are short, and we saw many golfers with success in the first two rounds putting the driving back in the bag and opting for a wood or a low iron. 

After all, it doesn't matter how far your ball is if it's down a hill and behind a tree. 

7. Experience Goes a Long Way

If there has been one consistent trend at Olympic so far, it's that the game's young stars have struggled immensely. 

Perpendicularly, the leaderboard is filled with golfers who we have seen play for the past 15 years, and all three of the leaders at the moment (Woods, Furyk and Toms) have all won a major. 

Should Toms go ahead and win this tournament, he can ride the momentum into the Champion's Tour, which he is eligible for in five years. 

6. Yelling "Get in the Hole" Still Isn't Funny

This might not be the most astute observation, but accurate it is. Why one guy insists on yelling this after every tee shot or after any shot by Tiger Woods is beyond me.

First off, a tee shot will never go in the hole, and should you be the "yeller" on that one miraculous hole-in-one, no one is ever going to give you any credit. Secondly, the gallery following Tiger needs to cool their jets and respect the game. 

I'm all for making golf fun and liberating the fans from some of their historical stuffiness, but please, be original. 

5. Lefty Is Still the Crowd Favorite, and Still in the Hunt

There's no denying after the first two rounds that Phil "Lefty" Mickleson is still one of the games most popular golfers. 

While fans were certainly upset at Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Bubba Watson missing the cut, there was a much more severe level of disappointment about the possibility of Phil missing weekend play. 

Phil is coming off a very poor showing at Memorial (where he shot a 79 in the first round and withdrew), and consecutive poor showing could indicate a slump. 

If you heard the cheers when Phil birdied the 18th hole, thus solidifying his place above the cut line, you'd know it was clear that most in attendance were rooting for Lefty. 

4. McIlroy Needs to Refine His Game

Rory's remarkable win in last year's U.S. Open sky-rocketed him to the top of golf's official rankings and made him one of the game's most publicized and popular players. 

With his young age and skill level, there is no doubt that he'll be a top player for years to come. But at the moment, he needs to refine his game. 

Rory's swing is powerful yet reckless. When it's on it's on, but when it's off, it can be very off. An errant shot by any golfer could be disastrous, yet an errant shot by Rory could land God knows where. 

He needs to teach himself how to swing powerfully while still allowing himself some forgiveness. 

3. Luke Donald Won't Be No. 1 Next Week

Let's face it, Luke Donald played absolutely miserably in the first two rounds at Olympic. It might be the worst performance ever by a No. 1 player in a major. 

He shot no birdies and nine bogeys in Round 1, and a slightly more reasonable two-over in the second round. 

Overall, he finished plus-11 and didn't even flirt with the cut line. We also witnessed Donald, who usually has quite a savvy short game, pitch ball after ball up and over the green. 

2. Jim Furyk Is Tiger's 2nd-Greatest Competition

No disrespect to David Toms, but with the way that Jim Furyk commanded his shots yesterday, I see him as the most likely leader besides Tiger to walk away with the trophy. 

Furyk is exactly the type of player who excels at Olympic. He has experience in highly intense majors, a slow and easy swing that he feels confident in, and a short game that rivals most. While Furyk's accuracy is sometimes skewed in favor of the course, he almost always reminds spectators of the definition of "recovery." 

Furyk will definitely stay in the running this weekend. 

1. Tiger Is Tiger's Greatest Competition

As nice as it is to sit atop the leaderboard with a minus-one, Tiger could easily be holding sole control of first place right now with a minus-four. As well as Tiger played in the first two rounds, he could have played even better. 

Off the tee he was fantastic, leading the field in driving accuracy. On the greens, however, we saw Tiger once again get into his head and miss putts that "vintage" Tiger would have made. 

Tiger was mostly in the zone on Friday, but to succeed this weekend and win the tournament, he needs to be 100 percent there. He needs to forget about his ego, his legacy, the media's constant dissection of his game and the guy in his gallery yelling "get in the hole!".

As long as he zones out and plays a nice game of golf with just himself, there is nothing stopping him. The ball will get in the hole.