It could have been better

PINEHURST, N.C. – David Toms got little out of his game Thursday. Right now, he would take three more days just like it.

Considered by many to be one of the favorites at the U.S. Open, Toms didn’t hurt his chances with an even-par 70 in the first round at Pinehurst. He missed one fairway and hit 12 greens in regulation, a difficult task on the turtlebacked greens at No. 2.

“It was tough to keep the ball in play, and I did that, but I just didn’t make any putts,” Toms said. “I played really solid golf, and just didn’t get a whole lot out of it.”

His round might have seemed a little worse than it was, since he played alongside Rocco Mediate, who shot 67.

But Toms, who won the Match Play Championship earlier this year for his 11th career victory, has few complaints. He sits fourth on the money list and was playing well coming into this week, and nothing he did changed that.

Maybe he can add an Open title to his 2001 PGA Championship.

“I had a good feeling about my game,” he said. “You know, I can’t control the other guys. For me, I feel good about where I am, and I think I can shoot a good score on this golf course. It’s just putting myself in a position to do that, and I’ve got to make some putts to have any chance to win this golf tournament.”

Pavin becomes jet-setter

Phil Mickelson had a pager. Corey Pavin has an airplane.

The 1995 U.S. Open champion was so determined to be at his son’s high school graduation that he rushed off the course after his first round at the U.S. Open and hopped on a private plane for California to be there.

Pavin was scheduled to take a late flight back across the country to make his second-round tee time this afternoon.

“It was either this or not play in the U.S. Open,” Pavin said as he hurried to a waiting car, just minutes after his round, “and I was hoping to do this.”

Pavin has two sons, and the eldest, Ryan, is the one graduating.

The timing worked out well for Pavin, who got the third tee time of the day – at 7:22 a.m. (EST) – and doesn’t tee off until 12:37 p.m. today.

“You’d have to ask the USGA about that,” he said when asked if he received special consideration. “Let’s just say I was hoping for an early tee time and I got one.”

Jones shows Jekyll side

Nine years after his surprising U.S. Open victory at Oakland Hills, Steve Jones was back near the top of the leaderboard, finishing with an up-and-down round of 69.

He had two pars among four birdies and three bogeys on the front, then closed with a more consistent inward nine for his best score in this event since 1997.

“That’s kind of part of the way I’ve been playing,” Jones said. “Jekyll and Hyde, on and off. I never know who’s going to show up.”

So far in 2005, his best finish is a tie for 36th in the FBR Open, and he is 186th on the money list with a little more than $89,000. Jones has made five cuts in 13 starts this year, and his struggles might be because he’s a bit rusty. He missed most of the past two seasons after elbow surgery.

But for one day at least, he had his game back.

“First, I was concerned if I was ever going to play again,” Jones said. “Once it felt like it was getting better, I wasn’t sure how long it would last, how much pressure or how much pounding can it take hitting balls. And once I started doing that in January, February, March, then I kind of felt like, ‘I’m OK.’ “

Cook looks for right recipe

John Cook is in the U.S. Open for the first time since 2002. Another round like his opener should keep him around for the weekend.

Injuries kept him sidelined almost all of 2003, and he received a major medical extension for last season. But he made the cut in only nine of 19 starts and finished outside the top 125 for the only the third time in his 25-year career.

So he took advantage of his one-time exemption as one of the top 50 on the PGA Tour’s career money list for 2005. He hasn’t quite found his game yet, with a tie for 22nd his best result, yet was solid in the first round at Pinehurst for a 71.

“I haven’t played poorly, I just haven’t played good enough to do any good,” Cook said. “I haven’t shot many high rounds. I haven’t shot many low rounds, and 70 and 71 doesn’t cut it out here anymore.”

He has been coming to Pinehurst since his college days at Ohio State, and also played in the old Hall of Fame Classic in the early 1980s.

Divots

Chris DiMarco, paired with Tiger Woods and Luke Donald, recovered from an inconsistent first nine after starting on No. 10 with three consecutive birdies on the front. A 2-under 33 closed out a 71 in the first round. … Fred Couples didn’t make his first par until his eighth hole. He started with consecutive bogeys, and had three birdies in a row before making another pair of bogeys. … Last year, Jay Haas led following the first round at Shinnecock Hills. He likely won’t make the cut at Pinehurst after an 82, which included no birdies and a 43 on the back nine.