A script writer would wake up and ask someone to pinch him, given the number of story lines woven into the first two rounds of the 2015 U.S. Open championship at Chambers Bay.

Get this one out of the way quickly. Tiger Wood and Rickie Fowler finished T150 and T145, respectively, and are gone for the weekend.

Two months ago, the golf world discussed the possibility of a Rory slam, as the northern Irishman arrived at Augusta with two majors in tow. How things have changed. The Masters champion, Jordan Spieth, finds himself in the thick of things. Despite a double-bogey on the 18th hole (his ninth hole of the day), Spieth made six birdies, moving into a tie for first with Patrick Reed. And somehow, the young Texan manages to keep it all in perspective. When asked about a particular hole-out by playing partner Jason Day, Spieth replied:

[quote_box_center]”I screamed. I had a good view. I was right in line with it and he hit it and the wind started holding it up. That’s pretty good, second bounce or third bounce or whatever it was, dunk. I just screamed back at him as if I was sitting in the gallery. It was a cool shot to see. Probably wouldn’t scream if he did it on Sunday and we were tied, but it was nice today.”[/quote_box_center]

As for Reed, the self-proclaimed top-5 golfer lived up to that billing. He made a mere six pars on the day. He speckled his card with six bogeys, five birdies and an eagle for the most diverse 69 of the day. One thing’s for sure: the third-round pairing of Reed and Spieth in the final spot has soooo muuuuch potential!

Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson found that a first-round lead is hard to hold, especially on a course like Chambers Bay. Stenson dropped three shots to par, going from 5-under to 2-under and a tie for ninth. Johnson fared a bit better, but bogeyed three of his final five holes for a 1-over-par round, 4-under for the tournament.

Nearly a decade ago, Jamie Lovemark was the Jordan Spieth-Patrick Reed of the amateur circuit. He was the can’t-miss kid, who then missed for the better part of a decade. Now, Lovemark has a chance to make a (love)mark for himself in the U.S. Open. He currently sits at 2-under par, in prime position to make a run on the weekend. Lovemark is well aware of his current opportunity:

[quote_box_center]”A lot of solid golf, nothing too great. A bunch of consistent play, some good finishes. Played the Honda earlier and a bunch on the Web.com Tour. No huge tournaments. I’ve been playing well in what I’ve been playing.”[/quote_box_center]

Dark horse of the week card is currently held by Branden Grace of South Africa, with Tony Finau in close pursuit. Grace added a 67 to his opening 69 to move into a tie for third with DJ. Grace’s four birdie, three bogey round was highlighted by a monster putt for eagle on the monster 582-yard eighth. Finau proved himself to be another one capable of birdie runs. The tour rookie had six birdies on the day for 68 and is 3-under overall.

And finally, the fellow you’ve all been worrying about: Jason Day. The Aussie is recovering from a bout of vertigo. He is 2-under, is still entered in the tournament and is scheduled to tee off on Saturday in one of the final six pairings. Still in search of his first major title, Day will need to continue his average of five birdies per day, while limiting the number of “others.” And he’ll need to stay on his feet. Here’s hoping he feels better on Saturday.

What can golf fans expect from the weekend? Continued opinions on the course set-up. Jordan Spieth was vocal about the reversing of par on Nos. 1 and 18. For the uninformed, No. 1 played as a par-4 on Thursday and a par-5 on Friday, while No. 18 did the opposite. This and other inroads (fescue greens, for one) by Mike Davis, the USGA’s executive director, are met with a variety of reactions from all involved. Davis spoke honestly on the topic on Wednesday:

[quote_box_center]”To play on fine fescue, whether it’s roughs, fairways or even greens, and being built on sand and in an area that really has very little humidity and we’re not going to get rain, this is going to be a very, very different U.S. Open test. But a good one. And ultimately while it’s going to be different, while it’s esthetically going to be different, architect really different, we are going to remain true to really what a U.S. Open is and what it’s been, which is a great comprehensive test of shot-making skills, course management skills, ability to handle your nerves, and I think truly anybody that’s walked this, there’s a bit of an endurance test, as well.”[/quote_box_center]

From fans to writers to contestants, the vision for this year’s U.S. Open is certainly different and not always understood or supported. To see how it all plays out, stay tuned this weekend to GolfWRX and your flat screen.