Monty has lead, Tiger struggles at Winged Foot

Montgomerie's 69 was the only score under par, while Woods shot 76.
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) -- This wasn't the return Tiger Woods had in mind.
Three holes into the U.S. Open, he already was 3 over par. He heard more groans than cheers, which happens when the No. 1 player in the world hits three short shots -- from the rough, a drop area and a bunker -- that sail over the green. All that saved him Thursday was playing the final six holes in 1 under to shoot 76, his worst start ever in a major.
"Just got off to a bad start," Woods said. "With the wind blowing as hard as it was, it was going to be hard to make up shots. And I didn't. I lost ground."
Colin Montgomerie was surprised, too, only it brought a smile instead of a scowl.
Played to his strengths
The best player without a major showed on a sun-baked afternoon at Winged Foot that perhaps it's not too late. Recovering from a rugged start, Montgomerie played to his strengths by keeping the ball in the short grass. He was the only player to break par, a 1-under 69 that put him atop the leaderboard in the U.S. Open for the first time in nine years.
"It's going to be difficult when you've got the world's best players and there's only one guy under par," Montgomerie said. "That's got to be difficult. And it was today."
It was the toughest start to a U.S. Open since 1986 at Shinnecock Hills, when no one broke par in the opening round. Twenty-two players failed to break 80 this time, and 35 players -- including defending champion Michael Campbell and two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen -- failed to make a single birdie.
Masters champion Phil Mickelson opened with a 70, a solid start in his bid for a third consecutive major, and spoke for just about everyone else at Winged Foot when he was asked how he felt.
"I feel a whole lot better now that the round is over," Lefty said.
Ends nine-week break
The focus was on Woods, playing for the first time since his father died. He ended his nine-week break by hitting only three fairways, one so wide to the right that he had to hook his next shot over a corporate tent. Woods looked somber at times, although that was more likely a product of Winged Foot than memories of his father.
"Everyone was looking for me to be more emotional," he said. "But I'm trying to put the ball in the hole and win the championship."
Mickelson did that fairly well. He holed a pair of 30-foot birdie putts and a bunch of short ones for par that proved equally important in keeping his score at even par. Also at 70 were Jim Furyk, David Howell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Steve Stricker.
Howell managed to make six birdies and was 4 under par with four holes to play. But he started missing fairways, which inevitably left him testy putts for par, and dropped four shots down the stretch, three-putting for double bogey on the 18th.
"Once I calm down a bit, it's still level par and it's a good round of golf," Howell said. "But right now I'm frustrated, and I'm fed up."
Rough the toughest
Mickelson didn't even bother trying to explain the degree of difficulty at Winged Foot, with rough so thick that volunteers scurried into the deep grass to place tiny flags next to the errant tee shots so they wouldn't be lost.
"You've had to go play it to grasp it," he said. "It's the toughest test we have all year."
Vijay Singh, coming off his first victory of the season last week at Westchester, had a steady round of 71 to join former Masters champion Mike Weir, John Cook and Fred Funk, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday.
Ernie Els saved a pedestrian round of 4-over by holing out from the ninth fairway for eagle and a 74. Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen didn't fare as well, failing to make a single birdie in his round of 77.