US Open Golf - day one review
June 13th 2008 09:44
Tiger Woods started slowly but is only four shots off the pace
Believe it or not, but it's true. Justin Hicks and Kevin Streelman, whom you have probably never heard of, have seized the lead at the US Open.
The two American surprise packeges opened with 3-under 68s at San Diego's Torrey Pines South Course on Thursday to lead by one from Australia's Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champoion, and Stuart Appleby and two more US jorneymen, Rocco Mediate and Eric Axley,
The day began with all eyes on the stellar grouping of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, the World Nos 1, 2 and 3, but on a day when Woods, like so many others in the field, struggled to break par, stumbling badly at his very first hole with a double bogey and then, later, picking up another on his way to a meadiocre one-over 72, the unheralded duo of Hicks and Streelman simply played the best golf.
Mickelson, in the meantime, overcame a stretch of three consecutive bogeys to sign for a 71 and finish just three shots off the pace.
Scott, who unlike Woods and Mickelson, has yet to win a major, wasn't as lucky. He shot an expensive 73.
Ernie Els, a two-time US Open winner in the 1990s, England's Lee Westwood, Sweden's Robert Karlsson, another Australian Robert Allenby and American amateur Rickie Fowler completed their first rounds in one-under 70s to be just two shots back.
Luke Donald, the second best of the Brits, was a shot further back with Mickelson on 71, but for too many British and European hopefuls it was a bleak day that will probably have set a good few on the slippery slide to a missed cut.
Strongly favoured Sergio Garcia, along with Retief Goosen and English rookie Ross McGowan shot 5-over 76s, Ireland's reigning Open champion Padraig Harrington and England's Nick Dougherty and Ian Poulter 7-over 78s and Scot Colin Montgomerie along with English hopes Justin Rose and Paul Casey, Sweden's Johan Edforce and Argentina's defending US Open champion Angel Cabrera all stumbled and tumbled to awful 8-over 79s.
It was even worse for veteran English amateur Gary Wolstenholme, who was given a first crack at the title as a late alternative.
He could only manage an 83.
Hicks, a Nationwide Tour campaigner who missed the cut at the 2004 US Open, and Streelman combined for 13 birdies on Thursday and went as low as four-under during their rounds.
"I don't think what happened today has quite sunk in," Streelman said. "But I won't have too much time to let it sink in because I've got to go off early tomorrow morning.
"I'm going to try and get a quick meal and a good night's sleep and hopefully see you guys again tomorrow."
Woods was playing competitively for the first time since Sunday at The Masters and he gave the field a two-stroke head start on Thursday.
Then, after making up the deficit, he did it again.
Woods hit his first shot of the tournament into the deep rough at number one to set up double-bogey No 1 and then, after spending the next eight holes climbing back up the leaderboard to get to one-under, he carded second double-bogey of the day, this one at the par-four 14th.
Yet despite his disappointing finish to an uneven round, Woods was content with his position.
"To make two double-bogeys and a three-putt and be only four back, that's a great position to be in," he said. "Because I know I can clean that up tomorrow."
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