ESPN Golf Online: 1999 U.S. Open: Notebook: Duval plays stress-free round

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David Duval admits he did feel some pressure.
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Thursday, Jun. 17
Notebook: Duval plays stress-free round

Staff and wire reports
PINEHURST, N.C. -- There were no incredible up-and-downs, no delicate chip-ins, no long, snaking birdie putts for David Duval at Pinehurst No. 2 Thursday.

Duval had only one par save which caused him any concern, he said.
Just the sort of routine round that Duval delights in, and one that left him with a share of the early lead at the U.S. Open.
"That's how I try to play," Duval said about avoiding the sort of rescue missions that Pinehurst often requires after errant drives or approach shots. "I try not to do those types of things. I find it to be less stressful."
The top-ranked player in the world, Duval makes a habit of driving the ball into fairways, then onto greens -- a marvelous monotony that amounted to a bogey-free score of 3-under 67.
"I felt like I drove the ball well," said Duval, who showed no ill effects from the kitchen mishap in his new Florida home last Friday that left him with burns on his right thumb and forefinger. "I hit my iron shots where I was trying to. The shorter putts I had for birdie, a couple of them looked like they might go in and did. And then the longer putts, I lagged up pretty close.
"If I am driving it in the fairways and avoid three-putting, I think there's a good chance I'll be here Sunday night talking to you," he said.
Nicklaus struggles
Jack Nicklaus began his 43rd consecutive Open with an 8-over78 that included five bogeys in the first six holes. His only birdie came on the par-4 eighth.
"I didn't drive the ball well, didn't hit my irons well and didn't putt very well," Nicklaus said. "Other than that, it was great. The rough is not long, but there was a lot of moisture in it, and that made it tough.
"I was hoping for fast, dry conditions. With my lack of length these days, I think that would suit me better. Today I hit woods into par-4s five times. I guess I'm getting a dose of my own medicine after all these years."
Nicklaus wasn't the only former champion to struggle on Thursday. Three-time Open champion Hale Irwin shot a 76, while two-time champion Curtis Strange joined Nicklaus at 78.
On the clock
Duval, Phil Mickelson and Carlos Franco were put on the clock for slow play on the 11th hole. How did they know this?
If they didn't realize they were a full hole behind, they must have seen the USGA rules cart parked about 100 yards short of the 11th green.
Jack Reed, a USGA official, said the threesome was about four minutes behind schedule and he pulled out the stopwatch.
"We don't give warnings," he said. "If they can see thunder and lightning, they can see us."
They were back in position two holes later.
Early birds catch the flashes
The USGA's decision this year to have the first tee times on Thursday and Friday a half-hour earlier than past years, at 6:30 a.m. ET, meant that the first group off didn't have much daylight to warm up in before hitting their first tee shots. Brandel Chamblee joined Jumbo Ozaki and David Toms with the honor on Thursday.
"We really couldn't see where the ball was going on the practice tee," Chamblee said after his round of 73. "It was pretty dark out here."
So dark, in fact, that news photographers following the three unnerved them by using flashbulbs.
"When it's that dark, the flashes really stand out,"Chamblee said. "I was seeing spots for a while there."
Still, Chamblee could joke about the experience.
"When I'm at home and have a 6:30 tee time, I usually get out of bed about 6:20," he said.
And when asked about what was in store for the rest of his day, since he was done with the round shortly after 10:30, Chamblee had a quick retort: "I'm sure a nap is going to figure in there somewhere."
Good run, but well short of record
John Daly's three straight birdies to begin his first round of the Open was a fast start, but not close to the tourney record.
That was set by Andy Dillard, who birdied the first six holes to begin the 1992 Open at Pebble Beach.
Dillard and George Burns hold the mark for consecutive birdies in an Open at six. Burns put together his hot streak at Pebble Beach (holes 2-7) in 1982.
The official scorer on the fourth hole originally had Daly starting with four consecutive birdies, but he actually got a par-5 on the hole. The score was corrected by Daly's caddie.
Divots

Not only did Duval and Mickelson share the lead, but they had a share in the lowest-scoring threesome of the day, too. Their combined score of 6-under, in addition to Franco's 1-under, gave the group an aggregate of 7-under.

The top amateurs Thursday were Tom McKnight and Hank Kuehne, who each shot 72. Matt Kuchar struggled to a 76.

Among other notable Americans, Davis Love III carded 70; Steve Jones was at 72; both Tom Lehman and Fred Couples shot 73s; and Corey Pavin had a 74.

Among notable non-Americans, Vijay Singh birdied the first two holes en route to a 69; Nick Price and Jesper Parnevik carded 71s; Ernie Els finished at 72; Jose Maria Olazabal double-bogeyed the last hole for a 75; and Colin Montgomerie used a birdie-birdie finish to score 72.