Tiger Woods celebrates after a birdie putt on the fourth hole during the second round of the 108th U.S. Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) on June 13, 2008 in San Diego, California. (Getty Images/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

SAN DIEGO - Before we start the weekend, the greens turn buckskin brown and the players start complaining about pin placements you can't locate with GPS and four-wheel drive, let's offer praise for an organization that usually is about as popular as the ACLU. The U.S. Golf Association can ruin a golf course faster than crabgrass, but its setup of Torrey Pines this week is just about as perfect as the ocean view from the third tee. This is a gorgeous place with panoramic views of the Pacific, and instead of making the course scarier than the IRS, the USGA allowed the best players in the world to engage in a game more resembling golf than roulette.

By the end of Friday's second round, the leaderboard featured eight players under par, including leader Stuart Appleby at minus-3; 12 players within three shots of the lead, and one Tiger rising.

Tiger Woods started the day at 1 over par, ballooned to 3 over after nine holes, then made four birdies in five holes to sprint up the leaderboard. Almost halfway through his round he was seven shots behind then-leader Rocco Mediate; a handful of holes later he was tied with Mediate at 1 under.

This being Woods' first tournament since knee surgery, one has to wonder if Nike will start selling knee-replacement kits instead of drivers. Woods has spent two days wincing, limping and pumping his fist.

On the No. 1 hole (his 10th of the day), Woods stood on the cart path instead of taking a drop that could have left him with a worse lie, and limped away after an awkward swing. He also made birdie, started pouring in putts and finished the front nine with an improbable 30. "The knee is sore," he said. "No more, no less."

Saturday at a major is known as "moving day"; Friday should be known as removing day. First-round leaders Jason Hicks and Kevin Streelman (whose caddie is former Grand Rapids High state champ Mike Christensen) dropped off the leaderboard, to be replaced by Appleby, who finished one shot ahead of Woods, Mediate and Robert Karlsson.

The galleries and photographers massed around the Big Three -- Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, the three top-ranked players in the world -- but only Woods justified the attention. Mickelson and Scott finished the day plus-4.

The play of Mediate and Davis Love III made this feel like the '90s. Love shot a 69, shooting a 33 on his back nine, to finish at 1-under 141, and the glib Mediate chattered his way around the course, shooting par 71, at one point asking his caddie, "Are they gonna have a 1,000-yard par-4 someday?"

That's been the charm of Torrey Pines so far -- the longest course in U.S. Open history rewards long hitters but doesn't eliminate shorter hitters. Mediate and Luke Donald (even par, tied for seventh place) probably don't have to fear steroid testing, but they're in contention.

Love won his only major in 1997; Mediate hasn't won anything but friends on tour since 2002.

"The golf course is holding up beautifully," Mediate said. "I just like the fact that you have to put the ball in the fairway in this tournament, unlike a lot of tournaments we play.

"It's such a good examination of everything you've got -- especially in your head."

Mediate said the U.S. Open is his favorite tournament "because it's ours." It's also democratic. Mediate had to qualify by making birdie on a playoff hole at his sectional qualifier, in Columbus, Ohio.

"We're playing at 8 o'clock at night, I'm up against all these kids, there are 11 guys, seven spots, I'm 45 and I think the next-youngest is 31," Mediate said. "The rest are in their 20s and they outdrove me by about 50 yards on the first hole, I'm back there with a 9-iron, I hit it to 3 feet and make it. I don't know how much longer I could have gone.

"It was funny, though. As we're coming off the tee, I'm saying, 'C'mon, children.' "

Mediate will play last today, along with Appleby, who helped everyone identify the favorite late Friday night in the press room. "Hey, everybody!" Appleby said, as a guy in a Nike hat replaced him at the interview table. "This is Tiger Woods!"

There was no need for reintroductions. Woods is sore, and soaring.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com