SAN DIEGO (California), June 14: Stuart Appleby rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt at the last to seize the second round lead at the US Open on Friday, while Tiger Woods enjoyed a closing birdie binge to end the day a shot adrift at Torrey Pines.

Australian Appleby overcame back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12 to post a 70 for a three-under-par 139 total.

Woods joined fellow-American Rocco Mediate and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson at two under with a spectacular charge after an opening nine that included four bogeys and an eagle.

The world No 1 had five birdies over the last nine holes for a three-under 68.

Woods, playing his first tournament in eight weeks since having surgery on his left knee, made three 20-footers and a curving 15-footer for birdies in his first five holes after the turn.

He capped off the charge with a birdie at the ninth, his last hole of the round.

One more shot off the pace at one under par were Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, who fired a 66, Briton Lee Westwood (71), and Americans Davis Love III (69) and D.J. Trahan (69).

Like Mediate, Karlsson, Westwood and Trahan, Jimenez is also aiming for his first major championship victory.

Eighty players made the cut, set at seven-over-par 149.

Among those eliminated from weekend play were Briton Justin Rose (79-72) and K.J. Choi of South Korea (74-77) on 151, holder Angel Cabrera of Argentina (79-76) on 155, and Briton Colin Montgomerie at 156 (79-77).

Mediate, who began the day at two under par, took his total to four-under par after four holes, good for a three-shot lead over the field. However, he bogeyed the 10th and 12th to come back to the pack.

Unheralded overnight leaders Kevin Streelman and fellow-American Justin Hicks, who shot opening 68s, tumbled off the leaderboard. Streelman shot 77 and Hicks 80.

Second-round scores:

139 – Stuart Appleby (Australia) 69, 70.

140 – Rocco Mediate (US) 69, 71; Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 70, 70; Tiger Woods (US) 72, 68.

141 – D.J. Trahan (US) 72, 69; Davis Love III (US) 72, 69; Lee Westwood (Britain) 70, 71; Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 75, 66.

142 – Luke Donald (Britain) 71, 71; Robert Allenby (Australia) 70, 72; Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 69, 73; Ernie Els (South Africa) 70, 72; Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 71, 71

143 – John Rollins (US) 75, 68; Oliver Wilson (Britain) 72, 71.

144 – Robert Dinwiddie (Britain) 73, 71; Scott Verplank (US) 72, 72; Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 73, 71; Woody Austin (US) 72, 72; Rod Pampling (Australia) 74, 70; Andres Romero (Argentina) 71, 73.

145 – Kevin Streelman (US) 68, 77; Bart Bryant (US) 75, 70; Stewart Cink (US) 72, 73; Retief Goosen (South Africa) 76, 69; Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 78, 67; Martin Kaymer (Germany) 75, 70; Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 73, 72; John Merrick (US) 73, 72; Jim Furyk (US) 74, 71; Tim Clark (South Africa) 73, 72; D.A. Points (US) 74, 71; Patrick Sheehan (US) 71, 74; Brett Quigley (US) 73, 72.

146 – Sergio Garcia (Spain) 76, 70; Hunter Mahan (US) 72, 74; Derek Fathauer (US) 73, 73; Dustin Johnson (US) 74, 72; Matt Kuchar (US) 73, 73; Adam Scott (Australia) 73, 73; Phil Mickelson (US) 71, 75.

147 – Jonathan Mills (Canada) 72, 75; Mike Weir (Canada) 73, 74; Aaron Baddeley (Australia) 74, 73; Justin Leonard (US) 75, 72; Michael Thompson (US) 74, 73; Joe Ogilvie (US) 71, 76; Ben Crane (US) 75, 72.

148 – Trevor Immelman (South Africa) 75, 73; Stephen Ames (Canada) 74, 74; David Toms (US) 76, 72; John Mallinger (US) 73, 75; Ross McGowan (Britain) 76, 72; Ian Leggatt (Canada) 72, 76; Andrew Svoboda (US) 77, 71; Brandt Jobe (US) 73, 75; Justin Hicks (US) 68, 80; Pat Perez (US) 75, 73; Nick Watney (US) 73, 75; Soren Hansen (Denmark) 78, 80; Daniel Chopra (Sweden) 73, 75; Eric Axley (US) 69, 79; Rich Beem (US) 74, 74; Todd Hamilton (US) 74, 74.

149 – Jarrod Lyle (Australia) 75, 74; Chad Campbell (US) 77, 72; Vijay Singh (Fiji) 71, 78; Paul Casey (Britain) 79, 70; Jeff Quinney (US) 79, 70; Alastair Forsyth (Britain) 76, 73; Andrew Dresser (US) 76, 73; Brandt Snedeker (US) 76, 73; Steve Stricker (US) 73, 76; Heath Slocum (US) 75, 74; Rickie Fowler (US) 70, 79; Chris Kirk (US) 75, 74; Jesper Parnevik (Sweden) 77, 72; Boo Weekley (US) 73, 76; Anthony Kim (US) 74, 75; Ryuji Imada (Japan) 74, 75.—Reuters