Big names not on U.S. Open leaderboard

Reporting from Pebble Beach — This was opening day at the 110th U.S. Open in a clamshell:

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, who have combined for 18 majors, failed to card a birdie — but someone named Brendon De Jonge landed an eagle.

Professional Geoff Ogilvy (eight over par) played like an amateur and amateur Hudson Swafford played like a real pro for 16 holes, going one under making double-quadruple on his last two holes.

John Rollins held the top spot on the leaderboard at one point, and so did Cabrera. Not Angel Cabrera, the former U.S. Open champion, but Rafael Cabrera-Bello, the guy who arrived here via Madrid without his clubs because his airline of choice left them behind on his connection through Philadelphia.

You never know where an early leaderboard will lead. Shaun Micheel, whose shocking win at the 2003 PGA Championship in Rochester still stands as his only PGA win, finished at two-under 69 and shares the lead with Englishman Paul Casey and De Jonge of Zimbabwe.

These guys may be foreigners, but they’re not on foreign turf. Casey played college ball at Arizona State while De Jonge is a Hokie from Virginia Tech.

Casey exited his round cautiously optimistic.

“You can’t win any tournament on the first day,” he said, “but you can certainly lose it.”

De Jonge claimed the shot of the day when his approach from 91 yards on the par-four 13th spun into the hole for an eagle.

Six players are one shot back after shooting one-under 70: K.J. Choi, Mike Weir, Ian Poulter, Alex Cejka, 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa and Cabrera-Bello.

Mickelson, seeking his first U.S. Open victory, finished at four-over 75 while Woods, seeking his 15th major win, fired a three-over 74, with bogeys on 16 and 18 derailing a round that he almost held together

His mind-set?

“Just be patient,” he said. “There’s a long way to go, just keep plugging along and see where I come out Sunday.”

Micheel came to Pebble Beach with touch — and a touching story. He is playing for his mother, Donna, who is battling lung cancer. Micheel tried to win for her last week at the tour stop in Memphis, his hometown, but ended up tied for fourth.

Micheel was understandably emotional after his two-under round.

“It’s nice to be able to really play for someone,” Micheel said. “I mean, really, other than me. It’s always been about me, and my team, and where I stood on the money list … and it gets all consuming. I hate that she’s going through this, and I hate it for anyone that goes through this.”

It often takes a day or two for the U.S. Open to sort itself out. With 156 players getting here in all sorts of qualifying ways, the first day can be a real traffic jam.

The only thing that really held up well Thursday was Pebble Beach, which was firm, fast and by most accounts, fair.

Pebble Beach makes up for its lack of length (7,040) with teeny greens, shaved fairways and winds whipping from the cliffs.

Many of the longest hitters in the world played it straight and hit irons off the tees on many holes.

Woods said he hit driver three times.

“It’s positional play,” said Poulter, the Match Play champion this year. “I like that kind of golf. I like the fact of it being small greens. And tricky around the greens.”

Hitting iron off the tee can sometimes be viewed as concession. In 1967, at the Bing Crosby tour stop here, Jack Nicklaus pulled out an iron on the tee box at No. 18, prompting columnist Jim Murray to quip: “ Arnold Palmer wouldn’t use an iron to press his pants.”

This is no place for go for broke, though, and the course commanded, and received, proper respect.

It was a good day for the no-names and a mediocre one for the big names.

Mickelson had not left a course without a birdie in hand in his last 95 rounds.

According to the PGA Tour, Woods has had only two rounds in major championships without a birdie or better — Round 1 of the 2003 Masters and Round 3 of the 1999 British Open.

Mickelson went out in the morning, and shot three-over 39 on his front nine, which was actually the back nine. Mickelson ended up four over and hoping history can repeat itself. Ben Hogan shot 76 on his first day and still won at Oakmont in 1951, and Jack Fleck shot 76 and still won at the Olympic Club in 1955.

Mickelson’s roughest patch was going bogey-bogey-bogey on holes 16, 17, 18. He one-hopped onto the beach at No. 17, and whacked his second shot on No. 18 into the Pacific.

Yet, he ended the day only six shots out of the lead.

“If I shoot under par tomorrow I’ll be all right here,” Mickelson said. “There’s no way under par is going to win here, I don’t believe. I think over par will win.”

Woods went out in the afternoon and was steady as the rocks, making eight straight pars until a bogey at 505-yard, par-four ninth.

Woods, who hit his first 11 greens in regulation, had a good look at birdie on No. 17, his second-to-last hole, but slid his putt past the hole.

It was just one of those first days.

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