Tiger Woods (76): "I felt I was playing well enough to shoot under par today and I didn't do that. It wasn't rust. I just did not put it together at the right time. I didn't execute properly and consequently I shot six over. I felt I could have turned it around at any time with just one shot, one putt. I made two good saves on 18 and the first and thought that would be pretty good, I thought I could turn it round there. I knew if I made a birdie coming in the 10-shot rule would have got me in. The course is very difficult. The wind is up like it was yesterday afternoon and marginal shots are going to get killed here, more so here than any other US Open venue."

Steve Stricker (69): "It feels great (to be leading). But the halfway point is the key. We still have a lot of golf to play. The course is playing similar to yesterday but I think it's possible someone could shoot a good score today like David Howell had it going yesterday. It just never lets up though, you have to keep grinding all the way round."

Colin Montgomerie (71): "I've not competed here since 1997, that's nine years ago, and it's nice to get back in the frame. That's the beauty of this game, you're never quite sure. I'm just glad I managed to hold on. We all think it could have been three shots better but it could have been three shots worse. A couple of 70s from here and you never know what can happen."

Kenneth Ferrie (70): I feel as though I left a few shots out there but at the end of the day I am only one over par for the tournament and everyone says over par is going to win. I'm sure tomorrow I'll wake up and be pretty pleased but at the moment I'm a bit peeved. It's my first US Open and I had no idea what to expect after hearing some of the horror stories about previous events. But I'm a huge fan of this golf course. There are a lot of birdie chances but, as with me, two bad swings and it's back-to-back double bogeys."

Graeme McDowell (72): "I have really played good golf for 36 holes and I'm pleased with the ball striking. I got a bit ragged on the back nine but in general I have been enjoying my golf. It was a tough day on the greens, they are starting to get crusty and it was nice to make a couple coming in."

Michael Campbell (77): "I was actually surprised that they (the greens) were (slower than expected). I didn't do my homework I think. But that's life. You must carry on. There are lots of US Opens to go in my career so I'll put this behind me. I'm just disappointed I'm not defending this weekend. This week was a lesson for me and I need to go back and learn from that. I got a bit frustrated out there, the patience ran out towards the back nine and I missed a few putts because of that frustration."

Darren Clarke (72): "The greens are poor basically, they are very poor. They are jumping about and with the combination of the slope and the speed it makes it very tough to hole putts on. I played much better today than yesterday and gave myself a lot of chances. I'm just not performing on the greens and you cannot expect to contend in the majors if you do not putt well. A 72 is by far and away the worst score I could have shot and I managed to do it. I had 32 putts yesterday and 34 today. Maybe at the weekend with a few less players on the greens it might be easier to hole some putts."