Vermont's Murphy 1-over at US Open, tops Woods
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Trevor Murphy of St. Johnsbury reacts after his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship at Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., on Friday. AP PHOTO |
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By BOB FREDETTE RUTLAND HERALD STAFF - Published: June 20, 2009
A four-birdie, five-bogey round on a long, wet U.S. Open course. An opening score three shots better than Tiger Woods. Having his name read off the second page of the leaderboard by ESPN's Chris Berman.
All in all, not a bad 18 holes for Vermonter Trevor Murphy.
The St. Johnsbury native birdied his last hole and posted a 1-over-par 71 at the U.S. Open on Friday, completing an opening round that began about 25 hours earlier.
It was worth the wait.
Murphy, 24, was up to the challenge of Bethpage Black at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., and has put himself in a solid position to make the cut. He was seven shots off the lead but tied for 26th place following the completion of the first round. The top 60 and ties make the cut.
Among the big-name players Murphy led after the first round were Rory Sabatini, Ben Curtis, Vijay Singh, K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk, Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, Chad Campbell, Angel Cabrera, Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy. An unlikely band of characters to have in your rear-view mirror, if only for a day.
But that showed resolve for Murphy, who hit only 7 of 14 fairways.
"I got a lot out of the round considering the way I hit it off the tee," said Murphy, who had been driving the ball well coming into the Open. "I knew I could shoot a good score with the way I've been playing.
"It is exciting. I'm having fun and I have lots of friends and family down here. It's cool to share it with someone."
Murphy played two holes at 1-over par before Round 1 was suspended on Thursday, then made bogey on his first hole (the par-4 12th) Friday. But he came right back with birdie on 13 and played his last 15 holes at 1 under.
Along the way he fashioned par saves that helped keep a good score within reach and confidence at his elbow.
"That (first birdie) was awesome," Murphy said. "It gave me a boost. Actually on the next hole I stuffed it on the par-3 — 8 feet from the pin — and I missed it. But I was hitting good shots."
On the par-4 16th hole, which can play as long as 490 yards, Murphy drove it in the fairway, hit 6-iron to 8 feet and converted to offset bogey on 15. Then he parred in for 1-over 36 on what he called the tougher of the sides on the 7,400-yard course. He went on to play even on the front nine.
Murphy made bogey with his only three-putt on No. 2 then retrieved the lost shot with a heady play on the par-5 4th. He hit driver, fairway wood to a layup position, and dropped a 30-yard pitch within 8 inches of a tough pin.
On the finishing 9th, Murphy hit 3-wood to the fairway and fired a 7-iron over the flag, leaving a birdie putt of about 18 feet: downhill, right-to-left break.
"It was a feel putt, a Rutland (Country Club) putt down the hill," Murphy said.
The ball broke about 18 inches on its way to darkness.
Murphy made a pitch-and-putt par on the 7th which, at up to 525 yards, is the longest par-4 in Open history. But the save that stuck out was for bogey on 15, where he had to hack out of the rough and then blew pitching wedge over the green and behind a mound.
The green at 15 is the most undulating on the course and runs hard back toward the fairway; Murphy said he witnessed another competitor play from the same spot and hit the ball through the green. Murphy bore down and executed a soft pitch to 4 feet and converted again.
Murphy used only 25 putts on greens rolling at around 12 on the Stimpmeter (the rain is making them so soft, said one ESPN report on Friday morning, that the sponsoring USGA is unable to get them up to the desired quickness). He said what he needs most is to straighten out his tee game.
"If you hit fairways, you can make birdie here," Murphy said. "I'm going to hit some balls tonight and see how I'm hitting it tomorrow."
Murphy, who is now based in Scottsdale, Ariz., sounded exhausted. Repeated visits to the USGA's chamber of horrors rough will do that, as will long rain delays, and the added attention and pressure that come with playing in the world's greatest golf tournament.
Faced with trying to play as much of two rounds as possible today, Murphy, lolling beneath a tree at now-sunny Bethpage, was in no hurry to get back on the course
"I'm beat," he said. "I'm just going to hang out. I need the rest."
To chart Murphy's hole-by-hole progress online, go to www.usopen.com and click on "Scores and Stats" and then "Scores."
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