Sky Sports commentator Richard Boxall reflects on an eventful first two days of the US Open, and he can see why the Chambers Bay course is coming in for some criticism...

There have been two major talking points at the 115th US Open so far. One is the state of the course and its challenging layout, and the other is the continued troubles of Tiger Woods.

Chambers Bay was a controversial choice to host this year's tournament. It is the first US Open to be held in the Pacific Northwest, and many are saying it should be the last! When I first saw the course I thought it was visually very nice, but it is not proving popular with the players.

Jordan Spieth has had a moan despite being in the lead, while the likes of Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose all questioned the layout and the condition of the greens in particular. And then we hear Gary Player calling it one of the worst courses he's ever seen for a professional tournament.

Gary Player: Called Chambers Bay one of the worst courses he has seen

I actually thought they set it up not too bad at the start, and the pin positions looked fair. But it’s just not like a normal US Open. Usually if you miss the green, your ball goes nowhere because it’s lodged in some thick rough, but at Chambers Bay there are severe slopes and run-off areas and your ball can suddenly end up 60 yards away.

Slopes too severe

But I think the greens are too hilly, there are way too many slopes. And they don’t appear to be in great condition – even Monty said on commentary on day one that they were not good. He’s right, and there’s no getting away from that.

It’s bizarre how the greens have different types of grass coming through, and they are having difficulty with that, and if the wind really gets up, it could be close to unplayable out there.

Jordan Spieth shared the 36-hole lead, but even he hit out at the course

I thought at the start of the week that if Rory McIlroy or Rose putted well, they could run away with it. But it’s Spieth who is again coping better than anyone on the greens – proving once again that he is the best putter in the world.

Before the tournament, there was a lot of talk about British and Irish players who were brought up on links courses having a decent chance, but it certainly hasn’t worked out like that. Shane Lowry had a good first two days, but the leading British player at halfway was Paul Casey – from Surrey!

I don’t think being brought up on links courses has much bearing on the majors, and I'm not sure there’s any such thing as a links specialist. You’ve still got to go out and play the shots, and at the end of the day you are always learning how to play links golf.

Tiger's lost desire

As for Tiger Woods, he won’t be around at the weekend and he marked another career low with his worst 36-hole score of his professional career. He’s clearly struggling, and the impression I got was that maybe he has lost his desire. I’m just not sure he wants to carry on playing at the moment. He might just be playing because he has to.

A lot of club golfers wouldn’t be able to understand why a professional, especially one as good as Woods, would want to give up the game. I’ve been through that. I played on the European Tour for over 15 years, but there came a point where I just didn’t want to be out there anymore. When it gets to that stage, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing for £1million or £1 – you would rather be elsewhere.

Tiger Woods: Does he really want to be playing at the moment?

Woods is obviously not happy at not being able to contend. It’s not enough for a man who has won 14 major championships to be simply trying to make the cut at the moment. He’s always had great self-belief in his own ability, and he’s been able to win countless tournaments when he’s not been playing well simply though determination and a will to win.

But that appears to have gone for now. He’s obviously not swinging well, and now the mental doubts are creeping in. It’s a shame as he’s been around for a long time now and he’s the best player I have ever seen, but it’s unlikely if he’ll ever win another major – let alone get back to world No 1.

I just think he’s got to the point where he has had enough, I don’t know how much more he can take. He can’t be enjoying the game at the moment, and it seems like every time he tees up he’s setting another career low.

He doesn’t need to prove anything any more, and he certainly doesn’t need the money.