Woods Trails Furyk by 3 Shots at U.S. Open, Europeans Make Run

Tiger Woods trails Jim Furyk by three shots at the U.S. Open, where four European players are making a run at the top of the leaderboard.

Woods, who began today tied for the lead with fellow Americans Furyk and David Toms, had four bogeys on his first eight holes today and is 3 over midway through the third round at San Francisco’s Olympic Club.

Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who is playing in the final pairing with Woods, had two bogeys and a birdie through eight holes today and is the only player on the course not above par.

Nicholas Colsaerts of Belgium is a shot behind Furyk at 1 over. The 2010 U.S. Open winner, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, was at 2 over, along with England’s Lee Westwood and Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden.

Woods, who is seeking to end a four-year drought in golf’s major championships, is tied with seven other players at 3 over -- including Jason Dufner, first-round leader Michael Thompson and Beau Hossler, a 17-year-old high school junior from Southern California who briefly held the tournament lead yesterday.

The weather today is warmer and sunnier than in the previous two days, making the course quicker and less forgiving as it dries out.

Five-time U.S. Open runner-up Phil Mickelson, who made the cut by one shot, shot his second straight 1-over 71 today on his 42nd birthday and is 8 over for the tournament.

“It’s a long, difficult day, even though it’s my birthday,” Mickelson told reporters.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mike Buteau in Atlanta at mbuteau@bloomberg.net; Rob Gloster in San Francisco at rgloster@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net