U.s. Open Notes: Els in Contention at Torrey Pines

Ernie Els has been lost in a fog for a while, but with rounds of 72 and 70 he's in contention midway through the Open.

“Mentally, I'm good,” Els said. “I'm really up for it.”

Els, who changed sports psychologists before the Open and whose work with swing coach Butch Harmon has been slow to produce big results, said he made a couple of swing mistakes on his first nine holes but, otherwise, was solid.

“I haven't won (an Open) in 10 or 11 years, but there are two wins there,” Els said. “I know what to do.”

15 minutes upJustin Hicks scurried around Torrey Pines Golf Course on Friday, his 15 minutes of fame slipping away as he tried so desperately to stay off the clock.

The surprising co-first round leader at the U.S. Open melted down with a second-round 9-over-par 80 after being told on the first green that his group was running five minutes late and had better pick up the pace.

“You know, having the lead at the U.S. Open is not something I'm used to dealing with on a daily basis and you accompany that with, 'Oh yeah, you're behind. You need to pick it up,' kind of got me going on a different gear that I wasn't really ready to play in,” said the 33-year-old mini-tour veteran.

Before he could catch his breath, Hicks was in the throes of a miserable round that included an astonishing eight bogeys and one double-bogey.

Kevin Streelman, another little-known golfer who shared the 18-hole, one-stroke lead with Hicks, shot a 6-over 77 in the morning.

Flood of concernsZach Johnson made only four birdies to go along with eight bogeys and two double-bogeys in his 36-hole total of 8-over 150, but he was more concerned with the situation in his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where rising floodwaters Friday forced the evacuation of a downtown hospital and sent thousands of residents fleeing for higher ground.

“I'm playing golf, you know? In the grand scheme of things, it really means nothing,” the 2007 Masters champion said. “I'm trying as hard as I can out here. I'm not saying my play has anything to do with the situation back home, but it's on my mind. It's impossible not to be.

“You look at all the situations that have gone on, the tornadoes, obviously the flooding, and, you know, I'm chasing a white ball,” Johnson said. “So the deaths from the tornadoes and certainly the evacuations from the floods, that's perspective right there. I'm very lucky.”

Johnson said his mother's office at the Archdiocese of Eastern Iowa was under water and she didn't know when she'd be able to return to work. His father's chiropractic clinic, also downtown, is closed, with sandbags surrounding the sewer system.

Charging JimenezMiguel-Angel Jimenez played his way into contention by shooting a 5-under 66 to move within two shots of leader Stuart Appleby.

Jimenez hit 15 of 18 greens, made seven birdies against two bogeys and made up a lot of ground after his opening 75.

“Every chance I had for birdie, I made the birdie,” the Spaniard said.

Jimenez, who finished eighth at the Masters but is still looking for his first major championship at age 44, gave himself a chance to do just that with the round of the tournament.