Day, Leishman near lead

AUSTRALIAN golfers Jason Day and Marc Leishman have made strong starts to be just behind leader Bo Van Pelt after the opening round of the ATT National today.

Jason Day

AUSTRALIAN golfers Jason Day and Marc Leishman have made strong starts to be just behind leader Bo Van Pelt after the opening round of the ATT National today.

Van Pelt fired a bogey-free four-under 67 to seize a one-shot lead.

Day is two strokes behind Van Pelt on 69 while Leishman is a further stroke back.

"I got off to a good start," Van Pelt said.

"I thought 10 through 14 I had hit a bunch of good shots and had some good birdie looks and didn't make any, and about a 25-footer for par on 15 that I made, just kind of kept my round going.

"When you make a putt like that, it just kind of gives you a little bit of momentum, you feel like you might make some putts today."

Of the other Australians competing, Rod Pampling scored even par and Greg Chalmers finished the day at one over, but Adam Scott is struggling at four over par, along with Robert Allenby.

Nick O’Hern is well back at 11 over.

American Van Pelt made the best of some difficult conditions at the Congressional Country Club.

He holed out from the fairway for an eagle on a day when just seven players managed to post scores in the 60s.
Tiger Woods wasn't one of those as he settled for a one-over 72. The average score was about 73.5.

Three-time major winner Vijay Singh, Brendon De Jonge and Jimmy Walker were tied for second at three-under 68, while Pat Perez, Day and Billy Hurley all shot 69.

"I played well," said Singh. "I hit a lot of good shots, made a lot of birdies, and finally I made a couple of putts, which I guess is the key to playing good golf... you've got to make putts, and I did that."

The 37-year-old Van Pelt, who has five top-10 finishes this year, has one PGA Tour victory, coming at the 2009 US Bank Championship in Milwaukee.

Defending champion Nick Watney is part of a large group tied for eighth at one-under 70.

Woods hit 11 greens in regulation but got into problems in the bunkers.

His approach sailed into the bunker right of the green on the 15th hole. His shot barely made it out of the sand. He then flubbed a chip shot which left him seven feet from the cup for bogey.

"It was a pretty good grind out there," Woods said. "Not a lot of low scores on this golf course, especially this afternoon.

"It was baked out, the ball was springy, and it's hard to believe that four-under par is leading."