EYE ON
BEN CURTIS
What’s up: Shot an opening-round 71. Tied with Graeme McDowell, hitting 15-of-18 greens in regulation.
Expectation: Once part of the group of “one-hit wonder” major champions, a list that includes Shaun Micheel and Todd Hamilton, Curtis, who won the 2003 British Open, has broken through, winning twice last season. While his play was indifferent entering the Open, Curtis knows how to hang around the leaderboard at a major.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON
What’s up: Shot an opening-round 3-over 73. Last year at Winged Foot, he did the same thing, then rallied with a 69 to get into contention, staying there until the final hole Sunday.
Expectation: Even though he is rarely included anymore when the talk turns to European players with a chance to win majors, Harrington is sneaky – you look up and there he is. He tied for seventh at the Masters earlier this year; by week’s end he’ll likely be contending here, too.
VIJAY SINGH
What’s up: Shot an opening-round 71. Had three birdies and four bogeys.
Expectation: Amid all the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson talk, Singh has gotten lost. A year ago at this time, many were saying his days as an elite player were finished – but he has already won twice on the PGA Tour this season. Singh hit half his fairways and had 31 putts Thursday. If he can improve those numbers just a bit, he’ll move into serious contention.
YOU CAN DO THIS
Stay in the short grass
Camilo Villegas and Eric Axley are considered big-hitting players. But unlike most PGA Tour stops, at the U.S. Open a premium is placed on accuracy. Thursday both men hit just three of 14 fairways. Qualifier John Koskinen had an even tougher day – he hit just two fairways en route to an opening-round 78.
YOU CAN’T DO THIS
A very lengthy List
For a brief time Thursday, Luke List, who made it into the field only after Englishman David Howell withdrew with an injury, found himself hovering near the top of the leaderboard. Although he eventually finished with a 77, List did manage to remain No. 1 in one area – driving average. With measurements taken at the 479-yard, par-4 seventh and the 500-yard, par-4 15th, List hit bombs of 301 and 340 yards, the latter the longest of the day.
A COARSE COURSE
Sometimes sand isn’t so bad
Most weekend hackers do all they can to avoid fairway bunkers, but many players here are hoping to find them. One of the subtleties at Oakmont comes from little slopes just off the short grass, which not only prevents balls from going into the sand, but also leaves them with awkward stances and nearly impossible shots toward the greens. “You get on them and you’ve got nothing; you can’t go forward, it’s hard to go sideways – maybe you can hit backward. I didn’t think of that,” Jason Allen said.
Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy also had his moments with the hilly lies, especially on the 667-yard, par-5 12th, where he somehow managed to come away with a par.
“I just figured I would hit it up somewhere short and right (of the green),” Ogilvy said. “But it was a bad short and right – just really bad and really right.”
