News
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Running Updates
Former Champions Making Move
San Diego - Two former U.S. Open champions are challenging for the outright lead. Ernie Els, 1994 and '97 champion, and 2006 winner Geoff Ogilvy are each three under par through 12 holes. The two golfers are grouped together with Justin Rose. Els birdied the par-3 third (the group started on No. 10) to get to three under. Kevin Streelman nearly missed a birdie putt at the sixth to get to five under. The PGA Tour rookie remains four under through 15 holes.
Streelman Takes Outright Lead
San Diego - PGA Tour rookie Kevin Streelman registered a birdie on the par-4 second hole to take the outright lead at four under par through 12 holes. Streelman leads by one over Justin Hicks, who posted a 3-under 68 in the morning wave.
Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, just birdied the first hole (his 10th of the day) to get to three under par. Also playing well are two-time Open champion Ernie Els and two-time Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cupper Luke Donald, both of whom are two under par through 10 holes. Donald is still seeking his first major championship.
Streelman, Donald Make Moves
San Diego - Kevin Streelman, a rookie on the PGA Tour and who is making his first appearance in the U.S. Open, carded a 3-under 33 through his first nine holes. He started on No. 10. Streelman has one top-20 finish on the tour this year.
Luke Donals is also making a splash. Through eight holes he was two under, birdieing the par-4 17th.
Woods Sore
San Diego - Tiger Woods grimaced on his last hole, No. 18, as he came in with a 1-over 72 on the South Course. Woods, who underwent arthoscopic surgery to his left knee, said "it was a little sore" afterward.
Woods said that he was trying to get into a flow early since it's been two months since he's played competitive golf. "It helps when you have six shots to get into a flow, like on the first hole," he said, referring to his opening double bogey.
Hicks Early Leader
San Diego - Justin Hicks was in the clubhouse with a 3-under 68 lead Thursday, followed by Stuart Appleby and Rocco Mediate at two under. Hicks, playing in his second Open, didn't have a par on his first nine holes. He started the day on No. 10.
"I didn't realize that," said Hicks. "I guess I was too busy trying to make birdies instead of thinking about pars."
Mediate got as low as three under, but a bogey on No. 16. Instead of building himself up, he said that it's only the first day and that Tiger Woods (1-over 72) shouldn't be discounted. In the wonder pairing of Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, Mickelson came out on top with an even-par score. Scott, suffering with a broken pinky finger, was 2-over 73.
"I'm pretty lucky to be playing," said Scott. "A friend slammed my hand in a door in London."
Scott uses an overlap grip instead of an interlock.
Svoboda Replaces Wetterich
San Diego - Andrew Svoboda in, Brett Wetterich out. Wetterich withdrew due to a wrist injury Thursday.
Calcavecchia Calls It Quits
San Diego - Mark Calcavecchia withdrew after playing holes after aggravating a knee injury. He was eight over par at the time. At the Buick Invitational in January, Calcavecchia worried that the USGA would make the rough too penal.
Roller-Coaster Round For Woods
San Diego - Tiger Woods' round continues to sway back and forth. He double-bogeyed his opening hole and then added three birdies over the next eight holes to turn in 1-under 34. He then made two terrific par saves at 12 and 13 before registering his second double bogey of the day at the par-4 14th, dropping to one over for the championship.
Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, has recorded back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 to get back to one over.
Justin Hicks, Rocco Mediate and Stuart Appleby remain atop the leaderboard at three under. Hicks has just one hole remaining, the par-5 ninth.
Hicks Falls Back
San Diego - A bogey at the par-4 seventh hole (his 16th of the day) has dropped Justin Hicks into a three-way tie for the lead with Rocco Mediate and Stuart Appleby. Mediate shared the first-round lead at the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst before finishing in a tie for sixth. His other top-10 Open finish came in 2001 at Southern Hills, where he placed fourth.
Eagle Has Landed
San Diego - Eric Axley recorded the first eagle of the championship, holing a putt at the par-5 18th hole to move from one over to one under par. He is tied for seventh.
Justin Who?
San Diego - Justin Hicks, a 33-year-old Nationwide Tour pro from Royal Palm Beach, Fla., has taken over the outright lead at the 2008 U.S. Open, thanks to a bogey by Robert Karlsson at the par-3 third hole. Hicks is four under par through 13 holes. He started on the 10th hole. Hicks, who competed at the University of Michigan, has made three of six cuts on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, finishing no better than 28th.
Two At The Top
San Diego - Justin Hicks registered a birdie at the par-4 fourth hole to move into a share of the lead with Robert Karlsson at four under par. Hicks resides in Royal Palm Beach, Fla., and has finished no better than 28th in six Nationwide Tour events in 2008. He missed the cut at the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Calcavecchia Out
San Diego - Mark Calcavecchia has withdrawn from the 2008 U.S. Open due to injuries to his left knee and left foot. His knee was bothering him prior to the championship. He was eight over par through nine holes.
New Leader
Robert Karlsson, who is enjoying a fine season on the European Tour (second on Order of Merit), has just birdied the first hole (his 10th) to take the outright lead at four under par. The Swede came into the U.S. Open fresh off five consecutive top-eight finishes on the European Tour. His best finish in four previous Opens is a T45 in 2002 at Bethpage State Park. He has missed the cut in those other three starts. Karlsson leads by one over Patrick Sheehan, Justin Hicks and Stuart Appleby.
Woods Bouncing Back
San Diego - After opening with a double-bogey 6, Tiger Woods has made the turn at 1-under 34, collecting birdies at holes four, eight and nine. He now stands just two strokes off the lead held by four players. Meanwhile, Steve Stricker continues to slide backwards. He made the turn at 4-under 32, but registered back-to-back bogeys at one and two. He now is at one under with Woods. Phil Mickelson turned at 3-over 38.
Costly Double For Stricker
San Diego - After making the turn at 4-under 32, Steve Stricker hit his tee shot on No. 1 (he started at 10) left and chopped into a fairway bunker. His fourth shot stopped 5 feet from the flagstick, but his bogey putt lipped out, sending him back to two under for the championship and one off the lead now held by four players: Robert Karlsson, Patrick Sheehan, Stuart Appleby and Justin Hicks.
Appleby recorded three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the second nine to move to three under through eight holes (he started on 10).
Joining Stricker at two under is Englishman Oliver Wilson, a member of the 2003 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team who has four second-place finishes this season on the European Tour.
Sheehan Gets Within One Of Lead
San Diego - Patrick Sheehan, who is competing in his first U.S. Open, posted a tidy 3-under 32 on the first nine of Torrey Pines to get within one stroke of Steve Stricker's lead at the 2008 U.S. Open. Sheehan birdied the par-5 ninth.
Justin Hicks is another stroke back at two under after collecting back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17. Hicks missed the cut in his only previous U.S. Open start in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills.
Phil Mickelson three-putted the fifth hole to drop back to one over with Tiger Woods, who birdied the fourth hole from a fairway bunker after opening with a double-bogey 6. Adam Scott leads that group at one under par.
Stricker Solo Leader
San Diego - Steve Stricker registered back-to-back birdies at the par-4 15th hole and par-3 16th hole to take the outright lead by two strokes at four under par. The Wisconsin native started his round at the 10th hole and immediately birdied 10, added a second birdie at the par-3 11th and made three consecutive pars before collecting birdies at 15 and 16. He leads by two over Patrick Sheehan. One player at one under is amateur Rickie Fowler, who got into the field as an alternate when Shaun Micheel withdrew last week. Fowler played on the victorious 2007 USA Walker Cup team and won the Ben Hogan Award as the nation's best collegiate golfer. He also won the Sunnehanna Amateur for the second consecutive year last week in Pennsylvania.
Stricker, Sheehan Lead
San Diego - Steve Stricker and Patrick Sheehan continue to share the early lead at the 2008 U.S. Open at two under par. Stricker seems to thrive at U.S. Opens, having six top-20 finishes in his 12 previous starts. He tied for 13th last year at Oakmont and shared sixth place at Winged Foot in 2006. But he entered the 2008 Open with four consecutive missed cuts on the PGA Tour and five of the last six.
Sheehan, meanwhile, is competing in his first U.S. Open. In college, he was teammates with current PGA Tour players Jerry Kelly and Tim Petrovic. Kelly is also in the field this week. Sheehan was part of the first group off the first tee. He has just one top 10 in 17 PGA Tour events in 2008.
Woods Opens With Double Bogey
San Diego - Tiger Woods, competing for the first time since the Masters, opened the 2008 U.S. Open with an inauspicious 6. His tee shot went way left into the second cut of primary rough and after chopping out, his third shot bounced over the green into more rough. He then missed a 6-footer for bogey. Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, the other two members of this marquee grouping, each made pars.
Patrick Sheehan, Justin Hicks and Steve Stricker are the current leaders at two under par.
David Shefter blogs about the first ball.
Points Starts, Leads
San Diego - D.A. Points, playing in his first open, commenced the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines by splitting the fairway. He went on to birdie the first hole to grab an early 1-under lead.
