Following a picturesque Pacific Ocean sunrise, the first U.S. Open to be played in Southern California in 60 years began with a birdie by D.A. Points, a 31-year-old former Illinois Fighting Illini from the golf friendly but ocean-free community of Pekin.
Very few people saw him do it.
A little more than an hour later, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott teed it up Thursday in the 108th Open before an open-aired private audience at Torrey Pines that numbered in the tens of thousands.
There were the usual “You’re the man!” yells. A “Go in the hole!” golf-ball goofball or two piped up at the impact of each tee shot, a difficult instruction to obey on a 448-yard hole.
Woods promptly took a double-bogey 6 on his first competitive hole of golf in two months. The world’s greatest player had begun his day on the same par 4 that Points did, but he played it three shots worse.
“Tiger off to slow start!” Web sites across America trumpeted like a breaking-news bulletin.
By round’s end, though, Woods and his surgically repaired left knee stood just fine with a 1-over-par 72.
He demonstrated what the golf world needed to see.
“I can walk 18 holes,” Tiger said with a Cheshire cat’s grin. “I guess I don’t need a cart yet.”
Oh, there were occupational hazards along the way — a pair of ugly double bogeys, a twinge of pain after his drive at 18, a missed birdie putt there that cost him a 71.
Mickelson did card a 71. He did it without a driver, electing not to keep one in his bag. With his trusty 3-wood, his hybrid and four kinds of wedges, the San Diego native played a respectable, unspectacular round on his favorite course.
More Top Picks Photophobia In Children When To See A Doctor
The home crowd ate it up.
A pro-Phil camp vied respectfully with a go-Tiger one, with a third group, largely made up of admiring women, oohing and aahing over Scott, the dashing Australian, who shot a 73.
“I thought it was great!” an effervescent Mickelson said of the USGA’s packaging of the world’s three top-ranked golfers. “Everybody out here was so respectful. There weren’t any derogatory remarks. Whether they pulled for any of the three of us, everybody was really cool. I was very proud to be from here.”
The threesome and its entourage will be reunited Friday, this time for 18 holes that won’t begin until late afternoon.
Drawing a much smaller gallery but competing for the same ultimate prize will be what’s left of the 156-man field, excluding Mark Calcavecchia, who quit after nine holes because he found Torrey Pines just too plain tough.
The first round’s story line?
Well, there was a 68 by former University of Michigan law school student Justin Hicks, not to be confused with a San Diego teaching pro named Justin B. Hicks who played in the Buick Invitational on this very same course in January.
There was a 69 by old-school Rocco Mediate, who had to go through a local qualifying event on the Ohio State course in Columbus — the same route Hicks took — to get an invitation to come here and play.
There was a 70 by a teenager, Rickie Fowler, the youngest player in this tournament at 19, who would shock the world if he miraculously became the first amateur to win a U.S. Open in 75 years.
And there were 80s galore, mainly by guys who are household names only in their own households.
Woods, Mickelson and Scott were the rock stars of Round 1.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought [it would be],” Woods said of the loud crowd. “I think there have been more people before, but I haven’t seen this many people inside the ropes before. We estimated just over a hundred.”
TV crews, photographers, the usual Tiger stalkers and more, what with this being his first outing since April.
He hooked his first ball way to the left, into the thick kikuya grass. Punched it out from there. Overshot the green with a wedge. Chipped up and putted twice for a sick 6.
“Hey, you couldn’t ask for a worse start than I got off to,” Woods said.
At least he kept a sense of humor about it.
“Getting into the flow of the round, it helps when you hit six shots on the first hole to get into the flow,” he said. “That’s a lot of shots to get into a flow.”
It was Medinah all over again.
On Aug. 18, 2006, when he and Mickelson were paired there for the first round of the PGA Championship, the round began with Woods flubbing a shot, flipping a club and cussing a blue streak as he took a 6. But he rallied for a 69.
That’s just Tiger being Tiger.
“Everyone asked me, ‘Is he still the favorite?’ Absolutely he’s still the favorite,” Mediate said. “No disrespect to anybody else, but he’s still the favorite. He’s still the best player in the world.”
And, like he said, he’s not quite ready yet to ride in a cart.
———-
More Top Picks Best Office Chairs For Back Pain