PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Before Phil Mickelson went on a late afternoon birdie binge Friday, the most interesting name on the U.S. Open leaderboard was the generic "Johnson."
Dustin Johnson has the power to obliterate par-5s, the experience to navigate Pebble Beach's slopey, fickle greens and a caddie who sounds as if he should have sunscreen on his nose and a surfboard in his arm.
"Dude," caddie Bobby Brown said, "we have a vibe going."
Johnson already has won twice here, triumphing at the last two AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Ams.
The U.S. Open setup is far different — longer with faster fairways and firmer greens. But Brown said Johnson feels "very comfortable" playing on the Monterey Peninsula.
"Whoever said the back-to-back wins are a non-factor is full of shoes as far as I'm concerned," Brown said. "He sees (fairway) lines, he sees these greens. He knows where to miss, even in these (breezy) conditions. And he ain't missing much. We're only halfway home. … But I'm starting to feel a little bit of that vibe I've felt with him before."
Johnson's 71-70 left him tied for second with Ernie Els, Ryo Ishikawa and Phil Mickelson, who birdied five of his first eight holes in the second round to shoot a tournament-low 66.
"I just got hot with the putter," Mickelson said.
He made seven straight pars to close out his round, saying: "I didn't feel overstressed, like I had to make any miraculous shots."
The leader heading into Saturday is Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, who two weeks ago shot 64-63 on the weekend to win the Celtic Manor Wales Open.
McDowell shot an up-and-down 68 on Friday (six birdies, three bogeys) to move to 3 under par for the championship.
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about picking up the trophy on Sunday afternoon," said McDowell, 30, who made the 2008 European Ryder Cup team. "I think that's only natural. But there are a lot of great players out here, and this golf course is extremely difficult."
The par-5 14th crushed the spirits of several players, namely Paul Casey (triple-bogey 8), Y.E. Yang (8) and Zach Johnson (9). All three watched their chips from short of the green return to their feet.
Tiger Woods' day was far less dramatic. His second-round 72, which featured three birdies (i.e. three more than he made Thursday), leaves him seven shots back.
"I feel very good," he said. "I'm right there."
But he's not on the leaderboard with Mickelson, who is threatening to seize Woods' No. 1 ranking.
One day after enduring what he called a "horrific" putting performance, Mickelson adjusted his setup and banged home several medium-length birdies.
Dustin Johnson, meanwhile, has been superb from tee to green. He leads the field with 27 (of 36) greens hit in regulation. He credits swing guru Butch Harmon for helping develop his "cut" shot that allows him to stop irons on the greens.