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Gay, Haas and Maruyama Lead U.S. Open

Posted on: Thursday, 17 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. - Brian Gay, Jay Haas and Shigeki Maruyama seized the early U.S. Open lead at 3 under, taking advantage of benign conditions Thursday on the links-style course situated between Great Peconic Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

David Duval, meanwhile, started with a flourish, then got a stinging reminder of why he walked away from the game.

Playing his first tournament in seventh months, the last player not named Tiger Woods to be ranked No. 1 in the world birdied the first hole at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club to put himself in an improbable place - the leaderboard.

It all fell apart beginning at No. 4, where Duval put up the first of consecutive double-bogeys. He made the turn with a 5-over-par 40 and bogeyed four of the first five holes on the back nine. Only a long birdie putt at No. 12 broke up his monotony of mediocre play.

Journeyman David Roesch, who plays on the minor-league Hooters Tour, was the early leader with birdies on four of his first six holes. But he had dropped a couple of strokes as he neared the end of his round.

The dreaded wind was barely rippling the flags, providing a chance to go relatively low. But the slick greens and waist-high fescue were still taking their toll. Davis Love III had a pair of triple-bogeys.

Tiger Woods, trying to break an 0-for-7 slump in the majors, again struggled to reclaim the form that once made him seem unbeatable on golf's biggest stages.

He was 1 over through 13 holes, going through a rather nondescript round. Then again, survival is the key at the U.S. Open, generally considered the sport's toughest test.

The leaders were up by a stroke on a group that included Roesch, Jeff Maggert, Kris Cox, Chris DiMarco and Skip Kendall. British Open champ Ben Curtis was among those at 1 under.

Duval's decision to make his comeback at the Open left many people shaking their heads. He had not played competitively since withdrawing from a November tournament in Japan.

To Duval, an often enigmatic figure behind his wraparound sunglasses, it seemed right. He made his decision Saturday night and flew to Long Island.

"I just wanted to go play," Duval said Wednesday. "For no other reason than I just felt like I was going to go have some fun and enjoy it again. Up to that point, I hadn't wanted to play."

Duval opened up his soul for all to see, revealing the inner workings of a complex figure who once stood on top of the golfing world, then let it all slip away.

"You know, the life out on this tour is long. It's hard. It's lonely. And I've been doing this for a long, long time," he said. "In some sense, to be honest with you, I haven't missed it."

Duval came into the Open with no expectations, just a renewed desire to knock around that little white ball. The ranking that was once No. 1 has plunged to 434. He hasn't won in three years, and just making the cut in the 156-player field would be a major accomplishment.

Others are playing for a lot more. Start with Woods, who has failed to win a major since a dominating 7-of-11 run in golf's biggest events.

He is under more scrutiny than ever because of his engagement to a Swedish nanny, his divorce from high-profile coach Butch Harmon and shots that don't always go where he's aiming.

Woods' slump - if you can call it that - has given Ernie Els and Vijay Singh a chance to move up to No. 1 in the world, a position Woods claimed from Duval on Aug. 16, 1999, and has held ever since.

"I'm playing as good as I've ever played," Singh said. "I can't do any more than just go out there and try to win the golf tournament."

Duval isn't the only player making a comeback this week. Jim Furyk, the defending Open champion, had surgery on his wrist three months ago and counted himself out. Lo and behold, he played two full rounds last week and decided Friday to give it a shot.

Amazingly, Furyk started with two straight birdies and was a respectable 2 over through 13 holes. But he had no illusions about repeating as champion.

"My expectations are high," Furyk said. "They're not that high."

He's already part of history, one of six straight first-time major winners. The streak began with Rich Beem in the 2002 PGA Championship and stayed alive with Phil Mickelson in the Masters two months ago.

Certainly, it's not out of the question that another neophyte will hoist the trophy Sunday as the sun sets on Long Island.

That list starts with Sergio Garcia, the consensus choice to inherit Mickelson's former title of Best Player Never to Win a Major.

But also keep an eye on players such as Chad Campbell and Padraig Harrington, who seem poised for a major breakthrough.

"Chad Campbell could easily win this week," said Lee Janzen, a two-time Open winner. "He swings fearlessly and he plays fearlessly. Those are two good things to have at this tournament."

Duval was approaching things with a totally different mind-set.

"I can't tell you when I'm going to play again," he said. "I just wanted to play this week. That's it."

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