Martin Kaymer up 3 after opening 65
-- Three days of practice at the new Pinehurst No.
So when he walked off the course on the eve of golf's toughest test and was asked what he would take for a score at the end of the week, he figured on 8-over par.
Kaymer made six of them in the afternoon, three on the final five holes, sending the 29-year-old German to the lowest score in three Opens held at Pinehurst No.
Open champion Graeme McDowell took the conservative route on his way to a 68 that featured 15 pars, one bogey, one birdie and one eagle.
"This was a golf course where I spent the last few days just preparing myself mentally for the challenge, really, knowing that this golf course wasn't going to give much and it was only going to take," McDowell said.
And we were able to take advantage of that a little bit early on and actually think about getting at some of those flags." The 15 players to shoot in the 60s were the most for an opening round at the U.S.
The sun broke through shortly before noon and began to bake the course, though not enough to stop Kaymer.
Kaymer picked up four birdies with relative ease -- three wedges to inside 3 feet, and a high draw with a 3-wood to about 20 feet on the par-5 fifth for a two-putt birdie.
He hit a 6-iron at the flag on the 16th hole and made a 12-foot birdie putt, and then hit another 6-iron at the par-3 17th to about 10 feet for birdie.
Kaymer tied the course record with a 63 in the opening round when he won The Players Championship last month, ending a drought of some 18 months.
Even so, he realizes it's only one round, and that the course probably won't be so kind or gentle the rest of the way.
"I would have never expected myself to shoot such a low round at Pinehurst ...
So when he walked off the course on the eve of golf's toughest test and was asked what he would take for a score at the end of the week, he figured on 8-over par.
Kaymer made six of them in the afternoon, three on the final five holes, sending the 29-year-old German to the lowest score in three Opens held at Pinehurst No.
Open champion Graeme McDowell took the conservative route on his way to a 68 that featured 15 pars, one bogey, one birdie and one eagle.
"This was a golf course where I spent the last few days just preparing myself mentally for the challenge, really, knowing that this golf course wasn't going to give much and it was only going to take," McDowell said.
And we were able to take advantage of that a little bit early on and actually think about getting at some of those flags." The 15 players to shoot in the 60s were the most for an opening round at the U.S.
The sun broke through shortly before noon and began to bake the course, though not enough to stop Kaymer.
Kaymer picked up four birdies with relative ease -- three wedges to inside 3 feet, and a high draw with a 3-wood to about 20 feet on the par-5 fifth for a two-putt birdie.
He hit a 6-iron at the flag on the 16th hole and made a 12-foot birdie putt, and then hit another 6-iron at the par-3 17th to about 10 feet for birdie.
Kaymer tied the course record with a 63 in the opening round when he won The Players Championship last month, ending a drought of some 18 months.
Even so, he realizes it's only one round, and that the course probably won't be so kind or gentle the rest of the way.
"I would have never expected myself to shoot such a low round at Pinehurst ...