FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - The weather seemed more suitable for the British Open than the U.S. Open, the end result becoming more predictable every time Tiger Woods made a big putt for birdie or an even bigger one to save par.
The 102nd U.S. Open here on the waterlogged Black Course at Bethpage State Park couldn't exactly be called a warmup for next month's British Open at Muirfield in Scotland, given the wet and chilly conditions.
But it might be a preview for the next stop in Woods' pursuit of golf's single-season Grand Slam.
With a 2-under-par 68 in yesterday's second round for a 36-hole score of 5-under 135, Woods has a comfortable three-stroke lead over Padraig Harrington of Ireland. Harrington, who also shot 68, is the only other player under par.
Trying to become the first player to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year since the legendary Jack Nicklaus in 1972, Woods might be in the minority in his belief that this tournament isn't history.
"I've still got 36 more holes," said Woods, who is also looking for the eighth major championship of his career. "It's not like we're having the awards presentation today."
Listening to some of those on the leader board, the U.S. Golf Association might want to set up a separate consolation tournament
"I've said it before: If you're the best player in the world and you're playing well, you're making putts, you hit it in the rough and you always seem to get a good lie, and you get the good side of the draw, that's tough," said Sergio Garcia of Spain, who is tied for third and seven strokes behind.
Asked if Woods can be beaten, Shigeki Maruyama of Japan laughed.
"By who?" said Maruyama, whose 3-under 67 yesterday afternoon was the best round of the day but still left him eight shots back.
Harrington, 30, certainly has the most legitimate chance. A four-time winner on the European Tour, Harrington has finished in the top five four times in majors, including a tie for fifth at this year's Masters, which Woods won by three strokes.
"There shouldn't be much I won't expect, but obviously that doesn't mean it's easier to handle," said Harrington, who played with Woods in last year's Open at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. "If I play well with him, I'll play with him for two days. It's tough enough going out there, but 36 holes under that pressure is going to be hard as well."
Harrington is aware of the effect Woods has on his playing partners during the last two rounds of majors, particularly Europeans. Colin Montgomerie shot 74 in the third round of the 1997 Masters. Thomas Bjorn blew up with an 82 in the third round of the 2000 Open at Pebble Beach.
"He's obviously a very intimidating force to be paired with in a major," Harrington said. "He's a phenomenal player, and it can certainly distract anybody who's playing with him. I realize this, and the difficulty would be managing my own game so I'm not distracted."
Only a couple of bogeys in the middle of yesterday's round prevented Woods from making this an early blowout.
The bogeys came after Woods had started with three birdies on the first four holes. Woods made a couple of terrific par saves on the back nine and, for the second straight day, finished with a birdie. Woods was off the course when the conditions deteriorated from bad to worse.
"Everyone has to deal with it," Woods said of the rainy weather. "You plod along. It's going to be a tough day, it's going to be a wet day, and it's going to be a long and slow one. All you can do is try to do the best you can, and stay out of trouble."
His play here has been eerily reminiscent of what he did at Pebble Beach. Not only is he making a good ratio of birdies to bogeys, he has saved par several times the first two days. He made a 15-footer to save par after hitting into a green-side bunker at No. 15 yesterday, and saved par again on the par-3 17th.
After sailing his tee shot into the deep rough behind the green, Woods made one of those seemingly impossible chip shots. The ball rolled within an inch of the cup and Woods made a 2-footer for par. He then finished the round with a 15-footer for birdie.
"It's always great to finish up on a birdie," Woods said. "As I said the other day, no matter how you play during the round, for some reason you feel a little better after you make birdie on the last [hole]."
If the rest of the field has any intention of not making this a repeat of Pebble Beach, where Woods won by a major championship record 15 strokes, or even the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, where he won by a tournament-record eight shots, they will need help from Woods.
"It's going to be difficult, no doubt about it," said Woods, who has not relinquished the lead in a major in the four times he has held it through 36 holes. "In any U.S. Open, it's always going to be difficult to make up shots because it's not easy to make birdies. You get rewarded for making pars."
What Woods won't say is that he's playing a different course than nearly anybody else. It is not only because of his length off the tee, but the accuracy of his shots. He has hit 20 of 28 fairways, and 25 of 36 fairways in regulation. He has also made a bunch of putts.
"It's a different game than the rest of us," said Chris DiMarco, who is 13 shots behind. "The longer you make the course, the more it sets up for him."
Said Garcia, "If he doesn't win this week, I don't know what else can happen to him because the course is in perfect shape for him to win right now."
The signs might say Bethpage Black and the U.S. Open, but it seems more like Muirfield and the British Open.
They are pointing toward another victory for the world's best player in his pursuit of a single-season Grand Slam.