Tiger Woods has taken the lead at the 2012 U.S. Open, carding a birdie two at the incredibly long par-3 third hole. Woods continues to make his way through the impossibly tough first six-hole stretch at the Lake Course at Olympic. He played it at 1-under on Thursday, and he's 1-under through the first three on Friday. He said before the tournament started that any player who could get through the first six would pick up "boatloads" of shots on the field -- so far, that's been the key to his rise to sole possession of the lead.
Before the birdie at No. 3, Woods made a key par save at the second to stay under par. He then followed that up by striping his tee shot at the third to within 10 feet of the front-left pin location. Woods was in complete control of his game on Thursday, playing his best round and shaping all the shots. His low stinger has kept him out of trouble off the tee, and he's executing his "game plan" (as he referred to it several times after Round 1). It didn't take long for him to build on that momentum from Thursday and take the lead.
Check out USOpen.com for the latest live leaderboard.
For more 2012 U.S. Open coverage, stay with this StoryStream. Also be sure to check outSB Nation's dedicated golf hub. And for full event coverage, head over to USOpen.com.