SCORESHEET
June 17th 2010, Pebble Beach, U.S.A.: For those expecting to see a first-round leaderboard sprinkled with marquee favorites, Pebble Beach Golf Links wasn't the place to find them on Thursday.
Unlike a decade ago when Tiger Woods stamped his presence with an opening-round 65 that portended his historic 15-stroke triumph, the picturesque venue on the Monterey Peninsula wasn't so golfer-friendly on Day One of the 110th U.S. Open.
Woods (74), Phil Mickelson (75), Ernie Els (73), Geoff Ogilvy (79) and Lee Westwood (74) all failed to break par on the sun-splashed 7,040-yard, par-71 layout that played to a stroke average of 75.3. Nine players finished under par.
Instead, the first-round leaders are Shaun Micheel, Paul Casey and Brendon de Jonge. All three posted 2-under-par 69s for a one-shot advantage over six players, among them 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, K.J. Choi, Ian Poulter and 18-year-old wunderkind Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.
Casey is hardly a candidate for Anonymous Illustrated. He posted his first PGA Tour victory in 2009 at the Shell Houston Open and he has been a Ryder Cup star for Europe. He even had an illustrious amateur career that included All-America honors at Arizona State and a spot on the victorious 1999 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Team.
"I did a wonderful job of managing my way around this golf course," said Casey, who has battled a rib injury this season. "I had low expectations coming in because the ball-striking and practice had been certainly frustrating. And I went out there thinking just have a great time, enjoy the crowds, enjoy Pebble Beach. It's a wonderful place to be any time of the year, let alone when it's gorgeous sunshine, and it paid dividends.
"The putting was obviously very good today."
Unlike Casey, Micheel owns a major title, the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., where his 7-iron approach to the 72nd hole nearly dropped for an eagle. But since that victory, Micheel has seemingly vanished.
On Thursday, Micheel re-emerged with a deft putting display that saw him register just 22 strokes on the challenging poa annua greens. Included in those statistics was a 3-foot par miss at 17 and a 30-foot birdie at 18.
"Is that how many I had?" said Micheel when informed by reporters. "I hadn't really thought about it. I was really kind of disappointed with 17, but I made up for it on 18. To make a 30-footer … was definitely a bonus."
Playing in the U.S. Open as a sectional qualifier is a bonus for Micheel, whose five-year PGA Tour exemption for winning the PGA ended in 2008. He received a major medical exemption from the tour in 2009 after suffering a torn labrum in 2008 that kept him sidelined for nine months. He's also been taking special medication to deal with low testosterone levels.
"It's amazing how quickly people forget you," said Micheel, who is coming off a tie for fourth at last week's St. Jude Classic. "It was kind of funny, Tiger and I were out at the same time and they were making such a hubbub about Tiger coming back and my therapist back in Memphis were saying why aren't they mentioning you? And I explained to him this is how the hierarchy works.
"It's not so bad. There are a lot of guys that come back over the years. I look at Steve Stricker. [He] really gives me a lot of encouragement. And I look at Lee Westwood, he was struggling with his game. What kept me going is I didn't think my game had left me."
Unless you're a follower of Virginia Tech golf, his alma mater, or a native of Zimbabwe, his home country, most people couldn't pick de Jonge out on the practice range without an identification placard.
Sure, he was the 2008 Nationwide Tour player of the year, but he has yet to break through on the PGA Tour. A survivor of sectional qualifying, de Jonge is making his U.S. Open debut.
His day proved memorable at the par-5 14th when he holed out for eagle from the fairway with a wedge. De Jonge was coming off bogeys at 11 and 13 that dropped him to even par.
"Obviously it takes a bit of luck when something like that goes in," said de Jonge. "That's such a hard third shot, such a hard hole. It's a bonus."
He bogeyed 16 and birdied 17 before closing with a par at 18.
"Obviously very excited," added de Jonge about his round. "I think on a day like today you've got to get a lot of good bounces, and obviously I did today.
"I'm excited [about Friday's second round]. It will be a good challenge."
