Mikes Diary - Round 1 - 2008 US Open

I have to tell you that I was completely surprised by my first round of the U.S. Open. Heading into Thursday, I'd been hitting the ball exceptionally well on the range. In fact, I was striking it so well that I thought I should stop practicing so I didn't waste any of these good shots.

But, as any golfer knows, just when you think you've got it, it slips away and that was the case in the first round. It was really amazing - every time I went to play a draw, the ball would fade. When I wanted to fade the ball, I'd hook it. I was almost laughing at how it was going out there. I never really did figure out what it was but probably something to do with my alignment. I'll try to sort it out on the range before my next round.

Overall, though, I'm extremely happy with the day. I finished at two over after hitting it that way. It was my short game that allowed me to score as well as I did. I was certainly glad that part was working. I actually chipped in once and made all sorts of great up and downs to hold things together. If I can get my ball-striking sorted out, I feel that I have the potential to shoot a good round.
The course today was just as I've been saying all week. It's tough, but it's fair. Compared to other U.S. Opens, this is far from the most difficult, but it's definitely not the easiest. If you hit a good shot here, most times you get rewarded. But if you slip just a bit, you can get into trouble in a hurry.

Things are only going to get tougher, of course. That's the U.S. Open. The greens are already starting to get a bit of that sheen to them as they dry out although it seems that most mornings there is this cloud cover that keeps them damp. Still, quite a few balls were bouncing quite high on some of my approach shots. 

I only had one really bad hole on Thursday, the 13th. I drove the ball into a fairway bunker and on my next shot, hit the lip trying to get out. The ball ended up right under the lip so my only option was to chip out sideways. I ended up with a double there, which was frustrating but by the same token, that's what happens out here. You have to accept those kinds of things and just move on.
At the end of the day I'm still right in this thing and I know I can play better so I'm looking forward to a good Friday.

Thanks for reading.