Friday, June 16, 2000
Woods takes lead in first round
of 100th U.S. Open
By ROB GLOSTER
AP Sports Writer
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Tiger Woods
made his move in the first round of the U.S. Open just as fog
and wind rolled in from the Pacific Ocean early Thursday afternoon.
Woods, the overwhelming favorite, had his
fifth birdie of the round on the par-5 14th hole, pitching out
of the rough and sinking a mid-length putt to move to 5 under
par for a one-stroke lead.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, who had five birdies
on his opening seven holes before a bogey 5 at the ninth, was
at 4 under.
The clubhouse leader was John Huston, also
at 4 under with a 67, followed by Bobby Clampett, who qualified
for his first Open in 14 years and was at 3-under 68.
Hal Sutton, who led for much of the round
but fell back with a double-bogey 7 at the 14th and bogeyed the
16th, was at 3 under with a hole to play.
Sutton, who was limited to a single practice
hole this week because of injuries, pitched long out of the rough
on the 14th and missed a short bogey putt.
Woods, who has won 11 of his last 20 PGA
Tour events, had birdies on Nos. 4, 7, 10 and 13 in addition to
No. 14. Jimenez, a Spaniard who has never won a tournament in
the United States, birdied the second, third, fifth, sixth and
seventh holes.
In near-perfect weather earlier Thursday,
Sutton began the tournament with an eagle 2, holing an 8-iron
from 136 yards on the 381-yard first hole. He then birdied the
second, fourth and seventh holes to go to 5 under par before a
bogey at No. 8.
Sutton rebounded with birdies on the 12th
and 13th to go to 6 under. But then came the collapse on the 14th.
Huston's round included seven birdies and
three bogeys.
Sergio Garcia, wearing knickers in memory
of the late Payne Stewart, was 3 over after 13 holes. Stewart,
whose knickers were a personal trademark, died in a plane crash
four months after winning the 1999 Open.
Sutton, who has victories at The Players
Championship and the Greater Greensboro Classic this year, took
two weeks off before the Open because of an Achilles' heel injury
and was bothered this week by back problems.
His eagle was the first on the opening hole
in a U.S. Open played at Pebble Beach. This year's Open is the
fourth at Pebble, with the others in 1972, 1982 and 1992.
Sutton tried to practice Wednesday but couldn't
get past the first hole.
“I was just hitting balls and I felt
a catch in my back, and it hurt pretty bad,” the 42-year-old
said. “And I've had a little Achilles' heel problem. I'm
getting old. What can I say?”
While the weather was close to ideal for
most of the first round, nature was finding other ways of making
life difficult for the golfers.
The death of a huge tree prompted officials
to change the second hole on the Pebble Beach course from a par
5 to a par 4, and many golfers stumbled on that hole in early
play.
There were 47 bogeys, a double bogey, triple
bogeys by Rory Sabbatini and Rick Heath and just 10 birdies among
the first 105 golfers to play the second.
In addition to memories of Stewart, there
is plenty of emotion at this centennial U.S. Open. Fans are pulling
for Jack Nicklaus, the only player to win an Open (1972) and a
U.S. Amateur title (1961) at Pebble Beach.
Nicklaus, playing in his 44th U.S. Open,
was scheduled to tee off later Thursday afternoon.
And there's sure to be plenty of drama on
a course that has produced some unforgettable U.S. Open memories
— such as a final-round duel between Nicklaus and Arnold
Palmer in 1972, or Tom Watson's decisive birdie on the 17th on
a pitch out of the rough in 1982.
Even though nine former champions are in
the field, the overwhelming favorite is Woods — who has been
playing at Pebble Beach since he was 13, and already has made
his mark on the photogenic spot along the craggy Pacific coastline.
Four months ago, in a National Pro-Am that
finished a day late because of awful weather, Woods rallied from
a 7-shot deficit with seven holes to play. He made three birdies
and an eagle from the fairway in those seven holes, and won by
two strokes.
It was his sixth straight PGA Tour victory,
the longest streak in more than 50 years, and continued a stretch
he carries into the U.S. Open — in his last 25 tournaments
around the world, Woods has finished out of the top 10 only twice.
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