By PHIL RICHARDS
The Indianapolis Star

Vijay Singh looks back at his shot from the bunker to the green on 18th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Olympia Fields Country Club on Friday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. - Jim Furyk has a golf swing that defies description, a circumstance that has failed to dissuade people from trying.

Gary McCord likens it to "an octopus falling out of a tree." David Feherty says it resembles "a man trying to kill a snake in a phone booth."

Tellingly, McCord and Feherty are CBS television analysts. They make a living watching golf. Furyk makes a living playing it, and he has played some this week at Olympia Fields Country Club

Furyk followed an opening 67 with a 4-under-par 66 Friday to roar into a share of the lead midway through the 103rd U.S. Open Championship. He and Vijay Singh were at 7-under 133, a tournament record. Furyk downplayed the record as something no one will remember and the lead as too premature to matter.

"I have to keep focusing on what's got me to this point and trying to figure out what things I can improve on over the weekend to get a little bit better," said Furyk. "I've been striking the ball very well."

That's a fact. Since a ragged opening nine during which Furyk repeatedly drove into trouble, he has taken dead aim. He has hit 24 greens during his last 27 holes. He was 17-for-18 Friday.

"He was flagging it every hole," said playing partner Phil Mickelson, who posted his second successive 70. "I kept thinking he was going to hit the pin. He's driving it terrific. He's maneuvering it both ways."

People noticed.

"Come on, Phil," the gallery urged early Friday, but as Furyk began to make birdies and move up the leaderboard, the gallery's attention wandered from Mickelson. Furyk won their respect and affection. He played to cheers.

The old 36-hole Open record was 134. It was shared by Jack Nicklaus (Baltusrol, 1980), Tze-Chung Chen (Oakland Hills, 1985), Lee Janzen (Baltusrol, 1993) and Tiger Woods (Pebble Beach, 2000).

Only Chen failed to win.

Furyk's swing is, at the least, unorthodox. He takes the clubhead far outside, then loops it sharply inside to get it on plane, just like his father, Mike, taught him. And he does it again and again and again, with metronomic consistency.

Furyk has won seven events in nine years on the PGA Tour. None have come this season, but he leads the tour with 10 top-10 finishes in 14 events, including a playoff loss to Scott Hoch in the Ford Championship at Doral.

Where once it was his swing that got attention, now it's his game.

"'I'd go to the media room after shooting 65, and I'd spend 18 minutes talking about my swing, two minutes talking about my round," recalled Furyk.

"I still have to get my swing in the right position. The clubhead has to be square, and my path has to be coming relatively straight down the line to hit good, solid golf shots. The ball is not lying."

U.S. Open

Yardage: 7,190; Par: 70 Second Round (a-amateur)

Jim Furyk	67-66-133
Vijay Singh	70-63-133
Stephen Leaney	67-68-135
Jonathan Byrd	69-66-135
Eduardo Romero	70-66-136
Nick Price	71-65-136
Fredrik Jacobson	69-67-136
Tiger Woods	70-66-136
Justin Leonard	66-70-136
Robert Damron	69-68-137
Tom Watson	65-72-137
Stewart Cink	70-68-138
Woody Austin	74-64-138
Brandt Jobe	70-68-138
Ian Leggatt	68-70-138
Tom Byrum	69-69-138
Daniel Forsman	71-67-138
Brett Quigley	65-74-139
Darren Clarke	70-69-139
David Toms	72-67-139
Alex Cejka	73-66-139
Kirk Triplett	71-68-139
Tim Petrovic	69-70-139
Cliff Kresge	69-70-139
Ernie Els	69-70-139
Darron Stiles	71-68-139
Dicky Pride	71-69-140
Jonathan Kaye	70-70-140
Phil Mickelson	70-70-140
Lee Janzen	72-68-140
Mark O'Meara	72-68-140
Mike Weir	73-67-140
Angel Cabrera	72-68-140
Ryan Dillon	72-68-140
Chad Campbell	70-70-140
Hidemichi Tanaka	69-71-140
Billy Mayfair	69-71-140
Bernhard Langer	70-70-140
Mark Calcavecchia	68-72-140
a-Trip Kuehne	74-67-141
Peter Lonard	72-69-141
Jay Williamson	72-69-141
Loren Roberts	69-72-141
Padraig Harrington	69-72-141
Justin Rose	70-71-141
Chris Anderson	72-70-142
Len Mattiace	69-73-142
Steve Lowery	70-72-142
John Maginnes	72-70-142
a-Ricky Barnes	71-71-142
Kevin Sutherland	71-71-142
Fred Couples	70-72-142
Olin Browne	72-70-142
J.P. Hayes	70-73-143
Brian Davis	71-72-143
Kenny Perry	72-71-143
Sergio Garcia	69-74-143
John Rollins	73-70-143
Niclas Fasth	75-68-143
Fred Funk	70-73-143
Scott Verplank	76-67-143
Brian Henninger	76-67-143
Charles Howell III	70-73-143
Colin Montgomerie	69-74-143
Chris DiMarco	72-71-143
Retief Goosen	71-72-143
Marco Dawson	72-71-143
Jay Don Blake	66-77-143