When the reverberations died down around dusk, McDowell’s early-morning round of three-under-par 68 had vaulted him into the lead at three-under 139, two strokes clear of a whole new cast of characters tied for second at one under par, including Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, the 25-year-old bomber Dustin Johnson and the 18-year-old Japanese sensation, Ryo Ishikawa.  “It was definitely a rude awakening,” McDowell said of his wake-up call, but the reference could be easily applied to the championship shake-up that took place all over the Monterey Peninsula on a chilly, misty day that seemed mailed in from Northern Ireland just for him. McDowell bogeyed his first, third and last holes of the day, and sprinkled six birdies on the rest of the softer Pebble Beach to grab the lead.  It was a 40-footer for birdie at the nightmarish 14th hole, his fifth, that really jump-started things for the 30-year-old McDowell, who vaulted into first from a tie for 10th.  “That kind of got my day going,” he said. “I played lovely after that, gave myself a ton of chances, generally played smart, hit fairways and greens and really tried to keep it below the hole as much as possible.”  That was very much the same strategy employed by Mickelson, who emerged from the fog with the lowest round of the tournament so far, a five-under 66, that brought him back from an opening 75. Mickelson also birdied six holes, bogeying just one in a solid ball-striking and putting round.  “I thought something in the 60s was out there and would get me into contention,” Mickelson said. “I knew I needed to get off to a quick start, because the first seven holes are the birdie holes and I needed to capitalize on that.  “I think birdieing the second hole, even though it was only a three-footer, it was uphill, I was able to be aggressive roll it in, see a birdie putt roll in, and it just gave me some confidence about making a couple more after that. It led to a good round.”  He birdied the third hole, the fourth from eight feet, the sixth from seven feet and, after missing a makeable putt at the short seventh hole, he made short work of No. 8, one of tournament golf’s most difficult par-fours. He hit a 4-iron off the tee to within two steps of the chasm, calmly hit his approach 18 feet below the hole, and made the putt. He missed a par putt of about six feet to bogey the ninth hole for the only blemish on his card, and his outgoing 31 was also the best of the week on the front nine.  One golfer who might have been surprised by Mickelson’s round was Tiger Woods, who shot a one-over 72 and is at four over, seven strokes off the pace. Woods said he was happy with his position — “I feel very good, I’m right there and I’m only, what, seven back” — adding that he did not foresee anyone in the afternoon part of the draw shooting a round in the 60s because the greens would be bumpy.  They were a little bumpy, as Mickelson found when a couple of makeable putts on the back nine did not go in. But, ignoring the bumps, Mickelson somehow reduced his first-round total of 32 putts by seven, needing just 25 putts on Friday.  “I knew I’d been putting well and it was just a minor tweak here or there that was needed,” Mickelson said. “Just a minor adjustment in the setup and the ball is rolling on line now.”  Els had a similar improvement in putting, from 33 in the opening round to 25 Friday. He was rolling the ball with authority, looking the way he did earlier this year when he won twice in Florida.  Eighty-three players made the cut at seven over. Some notable absentees for the weekend include Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (75-77); Stephen Ames (74-84); Y. E. Yang of South Korea (73-83) and Geoff Ogilvy of Australia (79-71).  Tom Watson, 60, made the cut on the number, pulling himself back together with an even-par 71 after his opening round of 78. He enjoyed his walk around Pebble Beach with Ishikawa and McIlroy, and had some insights into the game of Ishikawa, the Japanese sensation who shot 58 in a Japan Tour event on May 2, the same day McIlroy won the Quail Hollow Championship with a closing 62.  “His putting is excellent,” Watson said. “I love it. That makes up for so many mistakes. He has great touch, you can tell that.”  He is now in the mix at what might be one of the most entertaining United States Open weekends in recent memory. There is plenty on the table for everyone at the top of the leader board, beginning with McDowell, who is looking to become the first European in 40 years to win an Open.  Mickelson has a lot on the table. Five runner-up finishes in this event have given him a burning desire to break through, and he is positioned to take over the No. 1 spot in the world rankings at the same time.  A victory by Ishikawa would be a landmark accomplishment. He would be the youngest major championship winner in modern times by three years, the first Asian player to win a United States Open and it would burnish his already glittering image in Japan as an iconic sportsman.  Although it seems far-fetched, Watson did not rule out the possibility that Ishikawa could do, at a much younger age, the very thing Watson did here 28 years ago at age 32.  “Look at his position,” Watson said. “Not a question. Look at the scores. He’s even par for two rounds. Some guy here 28 years ago was even par for two rounds. He ended up winning the tournament at six under.”  Less spectacular, but more likely, Johnson could become the new Prince of Pebble Beach by winning the last two AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Ams and the Open in a two-year period. Lastly, if Woods could somehow manage to do what he believes he can, it would be among the greatest comebacks in Open history.  And it all shaped up, and shook out, in a remarkable day, after a very early wake-up call.  Karen Crouse, Bill Pennington and Larry Dorman contributed reporting from Pebble Beach, Calif.  Karen Crouse, Bill Pennington and Larry Dorman contributed from Pebble Beach, Calif.
The two halves of Fridayâs second round at the U.S. Open could not have been better suited to the two men who became its focal point.