After struggling for pars for much of the day, birdies are beginning to drop for the players near the top of the leaderboard. Luke Donald birdied No. 10 to tie for the lead while Phil Mickelson made a run to get back into the red.
U.S. Open leaderboard: Luke Donald ties Charl Schwartzel for the lead, Phil Mickelson 1 back
Play is starting to pick up at the U.S. Open as the lead has moved to 2-under.
Mickelson chose to layup on the 280-yard Par 4 10th, but the decision paid off. He hit an excellent wedge into the green then finished the hole off by making the birdie putt. The birdie was just his second in the last 29 holes. He picked up another stroke on No. 11, sinking his putt for back-to-back birdies. Mickelson is back to even par for the round.
Schwartzel’s 3-under is still tied for the best round of the day, but he’s now been joined at 2-under by Donald. Donald birdied two of his last three holes to move into a share for the lead. Amateur Michael Kim continues to make a run and he is also 3-under on the round. Kim is even par for the tournament, two strokes back.
The leaders are beginning to find some success, but Tiger Woods has not been as fortunate. He made his fifth bogey of the day on No. 12 and is now 4-over for the day and 7-over for the tournament. Now nine strokes off the lead, Woods has played himself out of contention, barring a late run.
Here is a quick look at the current leaderboard and a few other notable players.
| Player | Score | Thru |
| Charl Schwartzel | -2 | 11 |
| Luke Donald | -2 | 10 |
| Phil Mickelson | -1 | 11 |
| Hunter Mahan | E | 12 |
| Michael Kim | E | 15 |
| Justin Rose | E | 11 |
| Jason Day | 1 | 17 |
| Ian Poulter | 1 | 13 |
| Steve Stricker | 1 | 11 |
| Billy Horschel | 2 | 10 |
| Rickie Fowler | 4 | 17 |
| Ernie Els | 4 | 14 |
| Rory McIlroy | 7 | 14 |
| Tiger Woods | 7 | 14 |



















