|
ESPN NETWORK:
ESPN.COM | NFL.COM | NBA.COM | NASCAR | NHL.COM | ABCSPORTS | FANTASY | STORE | INSIDER
|
|
Friday, Jun. 18 Duval, Mickelson lead first-round logjam  Associated Press
PINEHURST, N.C. -- The wedge and putter that staked Phil
Mickelson to a share of the lead in the U.S. Open were not the most
important items in his bag Thursday.
There were no beeps in the first round, just birdies.
Mickelson took advantage of his deft touch around the greens and
a damp, vulnerable Pinehurst No. 2 for a 3-under 67, putting him at
the top of a packed leaderboard that included David Duval.
Tiger Woods dazzled the gallery with two birdies on the last two
holes for a 68. He was joined there by Payne Stewart and a suddenly
surprising contender -- John Daly.
Even after his best start ever in a U.S. Open, an important
first step toward winning his first major championship, Mickelson
wouldn't think twice about leaving early.
"It's not worth the tournament," he said. "As important as
the U.S. Open is to me and every other player in the field, this is
the birth of my first child. I wouldn't miss it for the world. This
is an exciting time for me."
That may not be the case for everyone else.
On what figures to be the easiest day for scoring because of the
soft greens, the best anyone could muster was a 67. The sun finally
broke through the clouds and drizzle late in the day. It is
expected to stick around through the weekend, which will only
harden the already treacherous, crowned greens designed by Donald
Ross.
"This is as tame as we'll play the golf course all week,"
Stewart said. "If you really didn't take advantage of the golf
course today, you really have your work cut out for you."
Billy Mayfair, who lives near Mickelson in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
and whose wife just found out she was expecting their first child,
made three long birdie putts to join the crowd at 67.
Shot of the day: Tiger Woods' 7-iron tee shot on the 191-yard 17th landed 2 feet in front of the hole, rolled up only inches from the cup and then spun back to where he hit a 6-foot birdie putt.
"The wind was coming a little off the left so I tried to put it about 10, 15 feet left of the hole and let the wind push it. I hit it perfect."
Jesper Parnevik's eagle-2 on the 383-yard 13th gets runner-up status only because Wood's No. 17 helped catapult him onto the leaderboard.
Shock of the day: Daly, of course. He even admitted he was in shock, having played the way he has the past two months and coming into the Open with zero confidence.
"The thing with me is I don't know who's showing up tomorrow," he said honestly. "That's the way the year's been."
Keep an eye on: Don't forget about the third member of the Duval/Mickelson group. Carlos Franco of Paraguay, who won the Compaq Classic in New Orleans, carded four birdies en route to a 1-under 69.
Paul Goydos birdied three of the last six holes to get to 67.
Rocco Mediate also was at 3-under with three holes to play.
Duval, who burned his right thumb and forefinger making coffee
six days ago, apparently is a quick healer. He breezed through
Pinehurst with Hogan-like precision on his way to a bogey-free
round, the first time he has broken par in the first round of a
U.S. Open.
"I was not able to practice quite like I would have liked, but
there are times when that's good," Duval said. "When I did
finally hit balls on Tuesday, everything was where I wanted it to
be."
After one round, everything is in place for what could shape up
to be a thrilling next three days, perhaps even the long-awaited
duel between Woods and Duval.
A winner in his last two starts, Woods recovered from
consecutive bogeys with two big par saves and two thrilling birdies
-- a 7-iron that almost went in the hole on the par-3 17th, and an
18-foot birdie putt on the 18th. Like Duval, it was the first time
Woods has been near the lead after the first round of a U.S. Open.
"I didn't play my best, but I hung in there and made a lot of
saves," Woods said. "In order to win a U.S. Open, you have to do
that."
This is supposed to be an Open unlike any other, particularly
because of the relatively tame rough and shaved collection areas
around the greens. Maybe that explains what Daly was doing around
the lead, starting with birdies on the first three holes.
He has either missed the cut or withdrawn from his last four
tournaments. One of those came after a six-putt from 8 feet on the
18th green in the Memorial. Daly has yet to finish in the top 10
this year, and he has never finished better than 27th in a U.S.
Open.
But he was bombing his drives, chipping and putting like a
magician and looking hip in his orange-tinted sunglasses. He lost a
chance to be among the leaders with a wayward drive on the 18th
that led to a bogey.
"John can play at any time," Woods said. "He hits it a long
way, but he's got a wonderful short game. People overlook his
touch."
Mickelson's touch has rarely been questioned, and he showed why
on the 482-yard fifth hole, which plays as a par-4 this week. His
5-iron caught the back slope and rolled off the green, a familiar
site at Pinehurst No. 2.
Bumping it into the slope with the closed face of his wedge, the
ball skidded across the green and into the cup for a birdie.
Mickelson sauntered on to the next tee box, both hands in his
pockets. Clearly, there were more important matters on his mind.
His wife's pregnancy has not been easy. She went into early
labor in late March and only recently have they been getting good
reports from the doctor. Still, he wasn't even sure he would come
to Pinehurst until Tuesday morning.
He has a cell phone in his bag in case the pager goes off, and a
private plane standing by. The trip home should take no longer than
five hours.
"As you know, I'm a pilot," Mickelson said. I've got my
co-pilot ready ... and we'll go."
Will Mickelson do the flying?
"Possibly," he said with a smile.
| ||||||||||||
Lead doesn't change Mickelson's plan
SportsCenter's first-round highlights
David Duval admits he did feel some pressure.
|