Daly combines power and precision to shoot a 66

At first glance, it was as if all the old ingredients were there, from the prodigious striking to the howling spectators. But on closer inspection, the one-time Wild Thing had been consigned to history as a new, subdued, John Daly shot 66 in the opening round of the 79th USPGA Championship here at Winged Foot yesterday.

Though he was joined by Davis Love late in the evening, Daly had gone to the top of the leaderboard with one of the finest finishes to a round in this or any of the major championships. A thrilling combination of power and precision allowed him to birdie the last three holes, which he reduced to three wood tee-shots followed by short-irons close to the target.

For this one day, which was the extent of his projections as a recovering alcoholic, Daly had kept the demons at bay. And while claiming the early lead, there was the considerable satisfaction of being first to equal the competitive record for the course, set by his friend Fuzzy Zoeller in the second round of the US Open in 1984.

A three-way tie for the lead seemed in prospect when Australia's Robert Allenby got to fourunder with a birdie on the 17th. But the gifted Australian, making his fourth appearance in this event, bogeyed the last, where he pulled his approach into the left, greenside trap and then missed a four-foot putt.

Ironically, the late-starting Love gained inspiration from the exploits of Daly, who had completed his round by lunchtime. "I knew that length would be an advantage and when I saw what John had done, it encouraged me to try and match his score," he said.

Love did most of the work in a stunning sequence from the short third, where he sank a 20-footer for a birdie two. It was followed by another birdie at the difficult, 460-yard fourth, where a six-iron approach was followed by a six foot putt.

Then came an eagle three at the long, 515-yard fifth, which he reduced to a drive, three iron and a 25-foot downhill putt. And he got to five under for the round when a 15-footer found the target at the next. But a difficult course bit back and he needed birdies on the last two for his 66.

After Wednesday's rain, the notoriously tricky greens had lost much of their traditional fire, while the rough was the most punishing at a major championship in recent years. So, it was significant that among the more successful competitors, there were undoubted short-game skills.

"I'm pretty much in shock," was the immediate reaction of the player who hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last March, before entering the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment. "I always used to pump my fist in the air to work the crowds but now I'm trying to keep my emotions in check: to try and be at peace with myself," he said.

He went on: "Every time I got on the green, I saw the line and succeeded in sinking some putts. That gave me the confidence to do some damage with my long game."

As it happened, scoring was generally of a high standard on one of America's most celebrated stretches, with Costantino Rocca producing a fine 69 to head the European challenge. The key to his round was a run of three successive birdies from the long 12th.

Britain's Nick Faldo, however, may now have serious problems in retaining his Ryder Cup place, after a dismal 75, his worst opening round in this event since 1986. His first 14 holes contained five bogeys and no birdie. Which meant that since last month's British Open, he had completed a disturbing sequence of 67 holes without a birdie.

Small wonder that he conceded: "I played badly. There were too many off-shots, mainly from blocking the ball." It forces one to conclude that Faldo's career has reached crisis point. On this form it would certainly take a great leap of faith by European captain Seve Ballesteros to select him as a wildcard choice on the Ryder Cup team.

Such considerations, however, won't apply to 25-year-old Ignacio Garrido, who is making the most of an invitation which he received only last week. On his first visit to the US, Garrido shot a level-par 70, despite a closing bogey.

"It's amazing what you can do when you're confident," said the player who nailed down a Ryder Cup place by finishing runner-up in the Czech Open last weekend. By way of illustrating the point, he compensated for approach errors at the opening two holes with parsaving putts of seven feet and 20 feet.

He has only one concern about Valderrama next month. "I hope they have thought of producing Ryder Cup shirts with long sleeves," said the Spaniard, who has made a fetish of protecting his arms from the elements.

It was a moderately successful day for the European contingent of 15, despite a disappointing 74 from their main hope, Colin Montgomerie who had a miserable start of three over after four. Ten of them, including Darren Clarke, shot 74 or better.

There was no joy, however, for Jose-Maria Olazabal, who will be going on to the Smurfit European Open next week in the hope of getting an automatic place in the Ryder Cup side. A thoroughly miserable 79 equalled his worstever round in this championship - on the opening day of his debut in 1987.

Meanwhile, earlier major winners this season remain very much in contention at this stage. Among them is British Open champion Justin Leonard, who covered his last 10 holes in two under par on the way to a fine 68.

On the same score was US Ryder Cup captain Tom Kite who claimed that for the first 10 holes, he played "as well as I've played for a very, very long time". But the round also had a downside. "There was a stretch in the middle where I looked like a 23-handicapper," he admitted. "But I'm pleased with my score."

Despite the exploits of Daly, Tiger Woods admitted after a round of 70 that he never thought of shooting a low score. "If you start thinking that way in these conditions, you're going to get too aggressive, which leads to carelessness. The way the golf course is set up, you can't afford to do that."

Woods had reason to be concerned, however, with a particularly bad hole, comparable to his experiences at the 10th, 11th and short eighth at Troon last month. On this occasion it was a double-bogey at the long 12th, which would have been viewed as a potential birdie for him.

In the event, he took his three-wood for a second shot of 240 yards. With more than enough club, Woods attempted to hit a soft fade over the trees, but blocked it badly right. Then, an attempted seven-iron recovery from trees popped up in the air, clattering among the branches.

After that, he hit a nine-iron out onto the fairway, followed by a lob-wedge and two putts. "If I had drawn my three-wood I could have flown the green," he said. "That's not what you want to do there."

It would be necessary to actually see the difficulty of the finishing holes here, so as to fully appreciate the quality of Daly's achievement. They are tight, long and intimidating, with an average yardage of more than 450.

At the 457-yard 16th, Daly hit a three wood and a 156-yard nine iron to five feet; he reduced the 449-yard 17th to a three wood, 137-yard pitching wedge and a four-foot putt, and at the 448-yard 18th, a three-wood was followed by a 156-yard nine-iron which landed only a foot from the hole. That last shot was greeted by the biggest roar of the day.

Daly would get no argument from the world's golf widows for his view that: "Golf and alcoholism are pretty similar. Golf is an addiction which I handle a shot at a time. Just like I handle drink a day at a time."

Yesterday, he handled both addictions admirably.