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Mill Creek’s Miller struggles on Day 1
Dennis Miller: U.S. Open First Round
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Associate Press photos by Eric Gay and Ben Margot of Dennis Miller during the First Round of the U.S. Open.
Mill Creek’s Miller struggles on Day 1
The Mahoning Valley’s most recent hero may have encountered his kryptonite.
The rest of his legion has, too.
“Everybody agrees,” Dennis Miller said, “if you’re not firing on all cylinders, at all times, you’ll hurt yourself.”
After day one of the U.S. Open in San Francisco, Miller — the director of golf at Mill Creek Metroparks — tallied a 10-over 80 at The Olympic Club. Superstars Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson didn’t fare well, either, shooting six- and eight-over, respectively.
“It was a little more overwhelming than I expected,” Miller admitted. “That first hole, I just wanted to get the ball off the tee and up in the air.”
Miller began the day with a par on No. 1 and birdied the par 3, No. 8. He concluded the round with pars on No. 17 and 18.
“I just missed a hole-in-one on No. 8,” he said. “The ball skimmed right by and rolled off to the back fringe, but I had a reasonable 12-foot, easy putt.
“I missed some other birdie opportunities that I could’ve converted and I had three or four three- and four-putts which hurt.”
Michael Thompson emerged from the pack to hold Thursday’s top spot.
Any comfort Thompson took looking up at the leaderboard and finally seeing his name at the top fizzled fast, though, when he saw the player one spot below.
Tiger Woods.
Thompson shot a 4-under 66 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, taking a three-shot lead in the clubhouse over the hard-charging Woods and David Toms.
The 2007 U.S. Amateur runner-up at Olympic Club sure played as though he knew the course, finishing with seven birdies to go with three bogeys in an aggressive and fearless round. The 27-year-old former Alabama standout still couldn’t feel satisfied with 48 holes remaining and a familiar face lurking behind in another major.
“Give Tiger the spotlight,” Thompson said. “I don’t care. I’m going to go out and play my game. If I go out and putt the way I did today, I’ll be in contention.”
What a way for this championship to begin.
Woods birdied consecutive holes late in his round and played the undulating course with the kind of confidence that has made him a 14-time major champion. He bogeyed his second-to-last hole and finished with a 1-under 69 to blow away playing partners Mickelson (76) and Watson (78).
That’s a stirring start for one of the world’s most watched — and scrutinized — athletes of any generation considering how he played at the last major. Woods never broke par in four rotten rounds at the Masters in April.
“I felt very pleased with every facet of my game today and I stayed very patient out there,” Woods said. “I was very pleased how I executed my game plan.”
Miller is sticking to his own regimen, too. Sleep has been limited with early wake up calls, “but I still find myself waking up at 4 a.m. every night I’ve been out here,” Miller says. Yet, it’s become routine.
He tees off a few hours earlier today than he did Thursday — and that’s welcomed.
“It’ll be nicer to wake up and get going right away,” Miller said. “A few hours earlier, and it’s still completely different out here. The air is heavier, moister and cooler, so it’s just more to take into consideration. The greens will be a lot smoother, too.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned, so far, is that every shot requires ample concentration.”
Associated Press contributed to this story.