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Tiger Woods is ready to claim his 15th major championship after grinding out a round of even par 70 on Day 2 of the 2012 U.S. Open.
He is in perfect position to do so after the second round, as he is only one of three men out of 156 who is in red figures after two days on the monstrosity of a golf course they call the Olympic Club.
Woods is following the same strategy he's used to win most of his 14 previous major championships. He is not pressing to make birdies on the holes that aren't birdie holes, content to make par and let others make bold moves that ultimately sink them after they end up with double-bogeys.
His second round wasn't all fun and games, though, as he overcame a horrible stretch mid-way through his round that saw him post three straight bogeys. Woods was able to refocus himself after that stretch, though, and he ended up shooting two-under par the rest of the way to finish the round at even par.
Woods will be in the final group on Saturday along with Jim Furyk. These two men are veterans who know how to handle the incredible throng of fans that are sure to follow them, and I don't see either one of them having a meltdown tomorrow.
In the end, though, Woods has the advantage.
Furyk has won the U.S. Open before—back in 2003—but that is the only major he's ever won. Woods, on the other hand, has been in this situation so many times that he is completely used to the pressure that comes along with it.
Woods will pull away from the field over the last two days of this tournament.
He is back to playing the same kind of golf that won him his previous 14 majors, and as the golf course gets tougher over the weekend, his game will prove to be superior than the rest of the field.
Woods is also showing something we haven't seen from him in ages: He is in full control of his swing, and he is comfortable hitting both his cut shot and his draw—something that most other golfers can't do. Heck, he's even hitting his driver with confidence—a part of his game he hasn't been comfortable with in a few years.
On a course like the Olympic Club, with its constant need for shot-making, Woods' game will shine above all the rest after the final round is complete on Sunday, and he will win major No. 15.
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