U.S. Open Update: Woods Moving Up

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Tiger Woods gave the field at the U.S. Open a two-stroke head start on Thursday, but he's taken it all back. Woods hit his first shot of the tournament into the rough at No. 1, leading to a double-bogey. He spent the next eight holes climbing back up the leaderboard and is in good position early in the first round at Torrey Pines. After a pair of pars, Woods carded his first birdie of the day at the par-4 fourth. He added another at the par-3 eighth and closed his front nine with a birdie at the 612-yard par-5 ninth, where he bounced his second shot off a spectator to the left of the green but chipped his third to about five feet and made that for his third birdie. At 1-under-par, Woods is three shots off the early pace being set by Sweden's Robert Karlsson. Karlsson started on No. 10 and charged to the lead with three consecutive birdies starting at No. 17. He made a 25-footer at No. 1 and has a one-stroke lead. Patrick Sheehan, Justin Hicks and Stuart Appleby are all at 3-under. Playing along wiwth Woods in the premiere grouping of the first two rounds, Phil Mickelson made the turn at 3-over and Adam Scott was at even-par. Woods, who has won the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines four consecutive times, is looking for his third U.S. Open title and first since 2002.