Singh - tied for the lead after 63. (Getty Images)

Vijay Singh missed a golden opportunity on Friday to become the first man in golfing history to shoot a round of 62 in major championships.

The 40-year-old Fijian took advantage of an Olympia Fields course near Chicago offering so many birdies that it did not seem like a United States Open at all.

On the par 70 lay-out he raced to seven under par after 15 holes and therefore needed one more birdie to knock one shot off the record first set by Johnny Miller in the event in 1973 - and matched 19 times since.

Singh was himself one of those who had achieved a 63, at the 1993 US PGA, but he missed 12-foot chances on the 16th and 17th and then drove into sand on the 460-yard last.

The former Masters and PGA champion had to settle for another par - and also therefore had to settle for joining Greg Norman as the only players to have two rounds of 63 in majors.

Singh had to be content with a share of something else as well - the lead in the tournament.

American Jim Furyk had earlier set a new 36-hole record for the US Open with his rounds of 67 and 66 and Singh, having started the day on level par, was alongside him going into the third day.

They were two ahead of Australian Stephen Leaney and three in front of a group that included defending champion Tiger Woods after a 66, Swede Fredrik Jacobson and two of the game's elder statesmen Eduardo Romero (48) and Nick Price (46).

Old they may be, but not as old as Tom Watson, who after the magic of his first day 65 managed only a 72, but stayed in the hunt at three under.

The 53-year-old is trying to become the oldest-ever winner of a major title - by five years - and if his display was disappointing after what had come before then the crowd did not let him think so. They cheered him onto every tee and green.

The reception, of course, was also for caddie Bruce Edwards, who has a fatal disease for which there is currently no cure.

The pair have worked together for most of Watson's career and it was easy to understand the tears that accompanied them on the first day.

Edwards' amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, speeds up the ageing process and Watson has passionately called for money to enable research that might come up with a cure.

Darren Clarke, partnering Furyk and Phil Mickelson, added a 69 to his initial 70 to be one under at halfway and in a share of 16th place. Mickelson was one further back after a second successive 70.

"I have left a lot of shots out there," said Clarke, whose manager Chubby Chandler said it was the best he had ever seen him play tee to green in a major.

"One under at halfway in a US Open is pretty good, but Jim is playing a slightly different course to the rest of us.

"I have been attacking the course in the way I said I would and it has been fun because Phil does it all the time.

"I have just got to keep hitting the ball the way I am and convert more of the chances I am giving myself."

Jacobson qualified for the event last year and is playing his first American major. No US Open debutant has won since Francis Ouimet in 1913, while both 48-year-old Romero and 46-year-old Price have their sights on becoming the oldest player to lift the trophy.

One of those grateful for Singh's and Furyk's late putting misses was Londoner Brian Davis, in at three over after a 72.

The US Open is the only major that still has the rule whereby anybody within 10 strokes of the lead after 36 holes qualifies.

Davis, five under after four holes in a magical start on Thursday, said: "I will be pretty sick if I am flying home tonight. I played well, but didn't hole the putts. That was the key."

Sergio Garcia was on the same three over mark following a disappointing 74 - Davis shot 72 - while Colin Montgomerie was suddenly involved in a struggle to survive as well when he dropped four strokes in the first six holes of the back nine to stand three over.

However, he sank a 12-foot par putt on the 16th and finished with two pars to finish on three-over.

And that meant, along with Davis and Garcia, he made it through to the weekend right on the cut mark.

Padraig Harrington disappointed as well. Also one under after an opening 69, he shot 72 to be one over, the same as Justin Rose (71).

Definitely out were Paul Casey on five over despite a 69, Paul Lawrie (74) on nine over and Nick Faldo, who had his second successive 75 for 10 over.

Two birdies in his last four holes brought American Jonathan Byrd into a tie with Leaney for third place, leaving Woods joint fifth with 36 holes to go.

Collated second-round scores (USA unless stated, par 70):

(x) denotes amateurs

133 Jim Furyk 67 66, Vijay Singh (Fij) 70 63

135 Stephen Leaney (Aus) 67 68, Jonathan Byrd 69 66

136 Nick Price (Zim) 71 65, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 70 66, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 69 67, Tiger Woods 70 66, Justin Leonard 66 70

137 Robert Damron 69 68, Tom Watson 65 72

138 Stewart Cink 70 68, Brandt Jobe 70 68, Woody Austin 74 64, Ian Leggatt (Nzl) 68 70, Tom Byrum 69 69, Dan Forsman 71 67

139 Darren Clarke (Gbr) 70 69, Brett Quigley 65 74, David Toms 72 67, Alex Cejka (Ger) 73 66, Kirk Triplett 71 68, Tim Petrovic 69 70, Cliff Kresge 69 70, Ernie Els (Rsa) 69 70, Darren Stiles 71 68

140 Jonathan Kaye 70 70, Phil Mickelson 70 70, Lee Janzen 72 68, Dicky Pride 71 69, Mark O'Meara 72 68, Mike Weir (Can) 73 67, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 72 68, Ryan Dillon 72 68, Hidemichi Tanaka (Jpn) 69 71, Chad Campbell 70 70, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 70 70, Billy Mayfair 69 71, Mark Calcavecchia 68 72

141 (x) Trip Kuehne 74 67, Peter Lonard (Aus) 72 69, Jay Williamson 72 69, Loren Roberts 69 72, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 69 72, Justin Rose (Gbr) 70 71

142 Chris Anderson 72 70, Len Mattiace 69 73, Steve Lowery 70 72, John Maginnes 72 70, (x) Ricky Barnes 71 71, Kevin Sutherland 71 71, Olin Browne 72 70, Fred Couples 70 72

143 JP Hayes 70 73, Kenny Perry 72 71, Brian Davis (Gbr) 71 72, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 69 74, John Rollins 73 70, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 75 68, Scott Verplank 76 67, Fred Funk 70 73, Brian Henninger 76 67, Colin Montgomerie (Gbr) 69 74, Charles Howell 70 73, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71 72, Chris DiMarco 72 71, Jay Don Blake 66 77, Marco Dawson 72 71

Missed cut:

144 Rob Bradley 73 71, Neal Lancaster 72 72, Joe Ogilvie 70 74, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 70, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 75 69, Joe Durant 72 72, Tim Gillis 68 76, Steve Flesch 73 71, Craig Parry (Aus) 70 74, Adam Scott (Aus) 72 72, Tim Clark (Rsa) 69 75, Spike McRoy 71 73

145 Richard Johnson (Swe) 71 74, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 74 71, Paul Casey (Gbr) 76 69, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 71 74, Jeff Sluman 74 71, Dudley Hart 72 73, (x) John Holmes 76 69, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 74 71, Craig Bowden 76 69

146 (x) Hunter Mahan 74 72, Scott Hoch 70 76, Geoffrey Sisk 76 70, Hirsohi Matsuo 72 74, Dean Wilson 76 70, David Smail (Nzl) 74 72, (x) Chris Baryla 72 74, Roland Thatcher 73 73, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 72 74, Bryce Molder 74 72, Jeff Maggert 74 72, Robert Allenby (Aus) 75 71, Grant Waite (Nzl) 74 72, Brian Gay 77 69

147 Doug Dunakey 73 74, Jay Haas 75 72, Toru Taniguchi (Jpn) 79 68, Sean McCarty 78 69, Bob Tway 74 73, Rocco Mediate 73 74, Bob Estes 70 77, Jerry Kelly 75 72, Bill Lunde 74 73

148 Mark Wurtz 76 72, Warren Schutte (Rsa) 77 71, Corey Pavin 72 76, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 75 73, Chris Riley 76 72, Tom Kite 72 76, Larry Mize 76 72, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 73 75, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 75 73, Bret Guetz 75 73, Doug LaBelle 72 76

149 Paul Lawrie (Gbr) 75 74, Bob Burns 78 71, Brad Elder 75 74, Kent Jones 76 73, (x) Bill Haas 73 76, Sean Murphy 78 71, Tommy Armour 76 73, Rod Pampling (Aus) 72 77, (x) Luke List 75 74

150 Rich Beem 74 76, Nick Faldo (Gbr) 75 75, Billy Andrade 78 72, Brad Faxon 73 77, David Duval 78 72

151 Davis Love 76 75

152 Matt Seppanen 76 76, (x) Rick Reinsberg 76 76, Steve Gotsche 76 76

153 (x) Chez Reavie 75 78, KJ Choi (Kor) 79 74, Alan Morin 79 74, Anthony Arvidson 75 78, Scott McCarron 74 79, Cortney Brisson 75 78

154 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 74 80, Chris Smith 77 77

155 Greg Hiller 78 77

156 Jason Knutzon 75 81

157 Joey Sindelar 76 81, Don Pooley 81 76

159 Roy Biancalana 75 84, (x) Tom Glissmeyer 80 79