OAKMONT, Pa - Softened and dampened, Oakmont Country Club gave up some low scores on the leaderboard in the first round of the U.S. Open here Thursday, especially to those golfers lucky enough to get an early start.
England\'s Nick Dougherty shot a workmanlike, 2-under-par round of 68 - including four birdies - to take the early lead, one stroke ahead of Argentina\'s Angel Cabrera. Bubba Watson and Spain\'s Jose Maria Olazabal are near the top of the leaderboard at even-par.
\"The course is softer, and it\'s still very difficult, but it means you can just about stop the ball now,\" said Dougherty, one of the first golfers in the clubhouse today.
Half of the 156-player field had morning tee times, and were rewarded with overcast skies and the friendliest greens Oakmont has had in weeks, thanks to a half-inch of rain that fell Wednesday night. Four rounds were posted at even par or better. All of them came from golfers in the morning group.
Dougherty watched as several players made it to 2-under-par before falling back. Sixteen players sit at 1-over-par, including major winners Geoff Ogilvy, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis and Vijay Singh.
\"The course is as soft and receptive as you\'re possibly going to have it and not too many of the guys have taken to the golf course,\" said Woods, who had an up-and-down round that included three birdies and four bogeys.
For more details visit - http://www.worldgolf.com/news/pga/us-open-oakmont-first-round-lead-nick-dougherty-5557.htm
June 15, 2007 Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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