US Open Golf 2012 Leaderboard: Contenders That'll Falter in the Final Two Rounds

Inspiring storylines always materialize on Thursday and Friday the U.S. Open, but many dissipate by the time history is created on Sunday.

Outside of Tiger Woods' steadiness, Beau Hossler's shot-making ability and putting poise was the talk of the U.S. Open after the conclusion of the second round.  

Michael Thompson, the first-round leader, lost his second-round battle with the unforgiving Olympic Club, but remains in contention. 

Established golfers like David Toms, Jim Furyk and David Toms sit steadily atop the leaderboard, guys who have coped with major championship stress in the past and triumphed, but a handful of surprising hopefuls will falter down the stretch in San Francisco.   

Beau Hossler

Hossler's story is remarkable—a 17-year-old playing in his second straight U.S. Open who held the outright lead for a stretch on Friday—but he's not ready to legitimately contend through the weekend. 

He compresses the ball well with a upright swing that yields a soft-landing shot with his irons and generates a lot of power off the tee, but the high school junior is simply going through a valuable learning experience that will significantly benefit him in his future. 

U.S. Open's incessantly and tests one's composure, ability to thrive with a lead and resolve to rebound after a tough hole. 

Hossler has displayed outstanding grit, but the pressure of playing the weekend at the U.S. Open close to the lead will be too much for the youngster. He's only hit 39 percent of his fairways thus far, something that foreshadows a rough Saturday and Sunday for the promising star. 

Blake Adams

Adams, the oft-injured 36-year-old Oklahoman, has struggled in his first decade a professional. He's been on the Nationwide Tour since 2007, but has the undesirable record of earning the most money in one season without a victory. 

He's had a roller coaster ride at Olympic, tallying five birdies and five bogeys in his second-round 70. While he's likely to complete his best finish in a major and receive a major paycheck, he's not definitely impervious to the U.S. Open perils and is fully aware of the amount of pressure that will be on his shoulders over the weekend. 

Michael Thompson

After a stellar first-round 66 that included seven birdies, Thompson surprisingly took a three-shot lead into Friday. Then, the Olympic Club grit its teeth. 

The tension that arrives between the ears and in the muscles when sitting on an U.S. Open lead is paramount and it showed in Thompson's second-round 75. 

He hit only 4-of-14 fairways and scrambled to even have reasonable attempts at par all afternoon. This isn't a slight to Thompson, but it'll be nearly impossible for him to rekindle the magic on the green's with the strain of a major championship bearing down on him. 

Follow @ChrisTrapasso