Golf: Montgomerie gets handy break on the Open field

LYTHAM ST ANNES - Colin Montgomerie equalled his best-ever British Open round of 65 to take a three-shot lead after the first round yesterday.

But defending champion Tiger Woods struggled all day and was grateful to scrape in at level-par 71, having missed six of 14 fairways and landing in five bunkers.

"I had to work my butt off out there, but I kept myself in it," the American said.

Montgomerie, who had a 65 in the third round of 1994, but who had never broken 70 in 11 previous first rounds in the Open, blazed out over the first 10 holes and then scrambled home with a series of great saves and a rousing birdie on the last to finish six-under.

He then sat back to watch with growing satisfaction as the rest of the field failed to mount any serious challenge to his mark.

American duo Brad Faxon and Chris Di Marco, and Finnish outsider Mikka Ilonen, were three behind on 68, with more than a dozen players a further shot back on 69.

Michael Campbell and David Smail were the best of the New Zealanders, with 71.

Bob Charles had a 75 and Greg Turner a disastrous 79, the third-worst score of the round.

The 130th Open began with the wild winds of the previous few days replaced by calmer conditions, and Montgomerie started with back-to-back birdies, then chipped in for an eagle at the par-five sixth.

The Scot's hopes of a first major largely depend on his putting, and he was on target yesterday as he birdied eight, nine and 10.

Great recovery chipping and putting on the way home kept his lead intact and he finished with a flourish by sinking a six-metre putt for a birdie on the last.

Woods also started with a birdie, but after avoiding sand for all four rounds en route to victory at St Andrews last year, the champion fell foul of Lytham's 196 traps for the first time at the fourth, where he dropped a shot.

His tee shots were way off line and several times he had to rescue himself with booming irons from deep in the rough.

Two more birdies were cancelled out by two bogeys, but it could have been much worse - something of which the champion was well aware.

He said: "When you don't really have it, but end up at even par and still in the championship ... I feel pretty good about it."

Faxon showed his famed putting talents as he eagled the par-five sixth and followed up with two consecutive birdies before settling down to a 68.

Former Masters champion Fred Couples was going well at three-under until he became stuck in a greenside bunker on the 15th, and after needing four shots to get out, took a triple bogey seven and an eventual 71.

Fellow American Jim Furyk fared even worse as he carded an incredible 10 at the par-five 11th to help transform his round from two-under to a six-over 77.

Last year's joint runners-up enjoyed differing fortunes. Ernie Els overcame his back injury for a 71 while Thomas Bjorn, on a roll from two successive European Tour second places, carded a 76 that included a triple bogey eight at the seventh.

Of the New Zealanders, Smail overcame a nervous start to finish at par after recording three birdies and three bogies.

Campbell had more of a mix to his 71, throwing in an eagle on the 452m, par-five sixth with his four birdies, nine pars, two bogies and two double bogies.

Smail completed his 71 in near-darkness watched by fewer than 50 spectators.

He said he had feared the worst after hitting the ball poorly in his warm-up.

"I'm very happy, I really didn't hit the ball too well to start with."

Turner took 42 for the last nine, when his touch with his approach irons deserted him. He declined to talk after his round.

Charles, aged 65, was in fine touch early in his farewell tournament, going through the opening nine holes in par, after two bogies and two birdies, at six and seven, both par-fives.

Charles, who won the 1963 British Open at Royal Lytham, dropped four shots in the last six holes.

He said he felt he was not hitting the ball well enough to make the cut.

Only the top 70, plus those tied for 70th, will make the cut today.

- AGENCIES