Tiger Woods lurking while Alistair Presnell beats nerves

TIGER Woods' charge towards a 15th major championship is on track after an impressive opening round in the US Open at the Olympic Club.

TIGER Woods' charge towards a 15th major championship is on track after an impressive opening round in the US Open at the Olympic Club.

Woods fired a one-under par 69 in the morning wave to be tied for second, with only countryman Michael Thompson between him and the top of the leaderboard.

Thompson jumped out to an early lead with a very impressive 66 - his round including seven birdies and just three bogeys.

Veteran David Toms joins Woods in the clubhouse at one-under while Australian major championship debutant Alistair Presnell impressed with an even par 70 to be tied ninth.

Woods scored a clear points decision in the morning power group with Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson struggling to a 76 and 78 respectively.

Woods, a 14-time major champion, started on the ninth hole and was bogey-free until the 14th where he dropped a shot after going long on his approach.

But a birdie on the par five 17th wiped out the deficit before back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes sent the massive gallery into raptures.

A loose bogey on the sixth took a little gloss off the round but Woods sits impressively placed as he looks for his first major since the 2008 US Open.

``I played well today. I felt like I had control of my game all day and just stuck to my game plan and executed my game plan,'' Woods said.

Presnell opened his major championship career with a bogey but steadied the ship to get through the more treacherous stretch of the course without any more blemishes.

The opening six holes averaged more than three over par for the morning wave but Presnell held firm with five straight pars.

The Victorian then moved back to even par when he pumped his driver onto the short par four seventh and easily two-putted for birdie from 18feet. Another five pars kept him on track before a great 20foot curling birdie putt dropped on the par three 13th and while a late bogey on the 16th was unpleasant he still sits well placed.

``I was certainly nervous, I'm still nervous,'' Presnell said.

``But it was nice to stick to a routine out there that I've been working on for a while and it held up through the first five holes, well six holes, after an early bogey on the first.

``To have a birdie there on seven and hit a great tee shot in on eight got me a little bit more comfortable out there.''

Rod Pampling (74), Brendan Jones (76), Adam Scott (76) and Anthony Summers (76) struggled while John Senden, Aaron Baddeley, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy are out in the afternoon wave.