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No roars from Tiger Woods this weekend: The defending U.S. Open champ—and favorite to win this year's tourney—isn't working the same magic on the greens this time around, calling his standing as the world's No. 1 into question. And he can't blame it on the course: Woods won his second of four U.S. Opens at the renowned Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. back in 2002. But alas, Woods shot a shocking 74 in his first round, and a (slightly improved) 69 his second day—placing him 11 strokes behind the tournament's current leader, former American amateur champion Ricky Barnes. Woods' early performance calls to mind his slump back in 2006—the only time he missed the cut as a pro in the U.S. Open—when he shot successive rounds of 76 following the death of his father, Earl. But Woods is staying hopeful. “My score doesn’t reflect how I’ve been playing,” he argued. “But it is what it is. There are still another 36 holes to play and I have to keep plugging away. I’m hitting the ball well enough—I just need to make a few more putts."