Front nine heroics lift
Jeev's round

Jeev Milkha Singh gave a good account of himself on the opening day of the 102nd US Open golf championship, which started at the par-70 Bethpage Black course on Thursday, but could not keep up the momentum on the back nine.

Jeev, who became the first Indian to qualify for the prestigious tournament, the second major championship of the year, shot a five-over 75 on day one to be tied for the 74th place. However, his round had enough heroics to earn him new fans as he thrilled the huge gallery to some outstanding shot-making from around the green.

Meanwhile, World No 1 Tiger Woods used every trick in his book to overcome the viscious Bethpage Black course. The American shot five birdies and two bogies as he finished the day at three-under 67, one stroke ahead of Sergio Garcia, who looked rock-solid in the morning as he posted three birdies and one bogey.

Four players, including Korean Choi Kyoung-ju, were tied for the third place at one-under 69.

How tough were the conditions at the Bethpage Black can be gauged by the fact that only six players from the quality field of 156 managed to break par. Only two eagles were shot during the entire day as against 131 double bogies and the 320 birdies scored were completely outnumbered by the 771 bogeys.

Defending champion Retief Goosen started with a 79, three-time winner Hale Irwine languished with a 82, while British Open champion David Duval could do no better than 78.

The Hero Honda-sponsored Jeev had the crowd applauding on the first hole itself when he hit a brilliant second shot to the green from the deep rough. On the second, he got an up-and-down from the bunker and then his birdie putt from 20 feet lipped out on the third. By this time, a goodly gallery of expat Indians and several Americans had gathered around Jeev's group.

On the fourth hole, Jeev played what could be the shot of the day. His three-wood second shot went into the secondary rough. The almost impossible chip flew over the green, rolled almost 30 feet down the slope and vanished into the thick, long grass. As a horrified gallery wondered what he would do from there, Jeev produced a miracle and somehow hacked the ball to the edge of the elevated and tree-guarded green, and then chipped it dead to make a bogey.

He was not done yet. On the fifth, he chipped-in to save par. On the sixth, he almost holed a 20-footer par putt which lipped out. On the seventh, he chipped-in again, this time from 20 yards for a birdie!! He made the turn at one-over, but with the wind picking up and the light fading on the back nine, he couldn't carry on the momentum and added four bogeys to finish the day at 75.

"This was the worst I have used my irons in a long, long time. I just could not find the greens in regulation. Thankfully, my short game saved me from total embarrassment," said Jeev, after the round.

"However, I am right on the bubble as far as making the cut is concerned and I am very hopeful of making a better score tomorrow when I play in the morning," he added.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods played a steady round and dropped four birdie putts in the 15-20-feet range as he kept alive his chances of wining the four majors in a single season. A 15-footer on the ninth (Tiger's 18th after he started from the 10th tee), saw him inch ahead of Garcia. Tiger made five birdies and two bogeys, while Garcia had three birdies as against a solitary bogey.

"If you are starting from the 10th here, the first three holes (par-4s measuring 492, 451 and 499 yards) are definitely the toughest opening holes in the world. Once I parred them, half the trouble was over and then my putting was very solid. Perhaps the only time I putted better this year was at the Masters. The golf course was playing very difficult. The wind was up and the greens were fast despite the overnight rains. I just needed to focus and stay patient," he added.

RESULTS (after 18 holes): 67 _ Tiger Woods; 68 _ Sergio Garcia; 69 _ Jeff Maggert, Choi Kyoung-ju, Billy Mayfair, Dudley Hart; 70 _ Padraig Harrington, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Steve Lowery Franklin Langham.

Also read:

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I want to be on the PGA US tour by 2002: Jeev.
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