Tiger, Lefty, Scott: Round 1 rock stars

SAN DIEGO — 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.

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.

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