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| |  Friday, 14 June, 2002, 20:16 GMT 21:16 UK Woods reigns in Bethpage rain Rain has turned the Bethpage course into a swamp Tiger Woods picked up on Friday where he left off in the first round of the US Open with a breathtaking round of 68. Padraig Harrington was the only player able to get close to Woods, also carding a superb 68 to finish two under par. Playing through heavy rain for most of his round, the Irishman made three birdies and, incredibly, just one bogey. Woods had earlier refused to let the rain get in the way of his quest for another major title, as he sloshed his way around the Bethpage Black Course. Woods' round left him with a three-stroke lead on a soggy, gloomy day, which left everyone else struggling just to break par. Most of top contenders, including Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, teed off late in the incessant rain, facing an already fearsome course that was dotted with impromptu rivers. In those conditions, no one, apart from Harrington, made a run at Woods. Still, he refused to declare victory.
"I've still got to play 36 holes," he said. "It's not over yet." Garcia was one shot behind Woods after the first round, but he ran into trouble on his second hole Friday. At number 11, the Spaniard knocked his first two shots in the thick rough, then overshot the green and wound up taking double bogey. After 12 holes, he was two over for the day and even for the tournament. KJ Choi, who opened with a 69, had a birdie at the par-five fourth hole to at least keep Woods within shouting distance. But two bogeys soon followed and he dropped back to even. Mickelson, coming off a 70, pulled off one of his typical shots - holing a wedge from the fairway - but was still two over. Dudley Hart and Jeff Maggert were among just six players who eclipsed par in the first round, both shooting 69. They both dropped back on Friday. US Open: Second-round scores | |
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