Tiger Woods (76): "The greens have been slow all week. They are slow and bumpy. You are in the mindset of a US Open when you expect them to be quick and I did not make the adjustment. I didn't feel hardly any rust and if I had just made the adjustment on the greens faster I would not be so far behind the 8-ball. I understand with the pitch on these greens you have to keep them on the slower side, but you are used to playing on fast greens but these are not. I just have to grind it out and if I can shoot under par the next two days I will be right up there. Last year was a lot easier than this and there was no-one under par by the end of the week."

Colin Montgomerie (69): "I'm delighted, 69 is a good score under any circumstances but especially when I was two over after three. It was very difficult, the greens are drying out and it's difficult to get the ball close to the hole with a 15mph wind. The expectations on me to win this in the 1990s were very high and I got close a couple of times. The expectations have been lower the last few years and it does make a difference, you are more relaxed. It would not change my life if I did well here this week but it might have done in the 90s. It's nice I can go out there and freewheel and not worry about things. I am more relaxed now. I probably wanted it a little too much before. But it would mean as much, probably more, to do it at 42 years old than 32."

David Howell (70): "This course can bite you at any time. I was delighted to get to four-under and I hope I see it again but that was probably the easiest this course is going to play so it's very frustrating. Once I've calmed down I will realise I have shot level par in the US Open and I'm one off the lead but right now I'm really frustrated and fed up."

Phil Mickelson (70): "Even par is a good score, you just try to play for par here, whether it's Thursday or Sunday. I happen to think over par is going to win it because I suspect the course will play harder and faster as the week wears on, making the greens tougher to hit to, to chip to and to putt on. I was very pleased with even par, I would have taken it from the start. With the wind it was very tough but I thought this was the fairest set-up that we've played - the graduated rough gave you a chance."

Graeme McDowell (71): "When I made the turn at three over I was pretty disappointed. But this is the ultimate test of golf and I will come out at the end of the week a better golfer. Who cares what happens? This is just the best set up in golf and you learn so much in these weeks. I am excited about the way I am playing."

Kenny Ferrie (71): "If you had given me a 71 before I would have gladly taken it but a bogey on the last always makes lunch taste a bit worse. I saw my name up on the leaderboard and I said to my caddie I've had it up there in the Open at Troon and now the US Open - it's just a shame it's been after seven or eight holes. I didn't really have anything to aim it at the start of the week, I had no idea what to expect in my first US Open. I'm a couple off the lead but we still have 54 holes to go and there is a 79 or 80 out there without doing a great deal wrong."

Philip Archer (72): "If someone had said I would shoot two over I would have snapped their hand off but I've been playing well so I just stuck with the plan I've been using. If you miss the fairway you don't try anything, just chip out and leave a good wedge yardage. It's a fantastic experience. Not many people were watching when I teed off at 7am but once the crowds got bigger you start to feel more involved. My wife and mum and a few friends from Warrington are here watching so I've got a little bit of support."

Luke Donald (78): "I didn't play well at all. Through 14 holes I had hit three greens in regulation and you're not going to score well round this course playing like that. There is a lot of work to be done. It is tough out there but I didn't do the fundamentals today. I didn't hit the fairways and greens like I usually do. It's disappointing."