Huston and Woods exploit kind conditions

The sadists among us felt thoroughly cheated. "I love this golf course," enthused Tiger Woods, heavily emphasising the word love after a sparkling, five-under-par 65 had made him joint leader with compatriot John Huston. Conditions could hardly have been kinder for the first round of the 127th British Open yesterday.

It was all so different from the horrific, 50 m.p.h. winds which confronted the game's elite in practice last Monday. They had abated to no more than a cooling, 15 m.p.h. westerly breeze as the famous Lancashire links was bathed in sunshine. And several leading challengers fully exploited their good fortune.

But things are not expected to stay this way. "There'll be fun and games when the wind gets up again at the weekend," warned Philip Walton, perhaps more in hope than expectation, as he led the Irish challenge with a fine 68. Whatever about freshening winds, rain is forecast for today.

The vast majority of the field will be looking to something to upset the leaders. For even at this early stage, it is a daunting prospect for players such as Lee Westwood (71), Justin Leonard (73) and Darren Clarke (73), to be conceding so many strokes to Woods over 54 holes.

At lunchtime, Walton and Paul McGinley were on the leaderboard at two-under-par. By the end of play, however, it was almost the exclusive preserve of overseas contenders, prompting one to invest some significance in the fact that no European has won at this venue.

Birkdale has never been in better condition and the superb quality of its restructured greens was reflected in a return of 23 putts from Brad Faxon. Indeed these factors were confirmed as early as the opening three-ball in which the 23-year-old Swede Fredrik Jacobsen shot a 67, and expectant father, Gary Evans carded a 69.

Yet trouble still beckoned. Everyone's favourite, Tom Watson, was in five of the 116 bunkers on the way to a 73 and Colin Montgomerie had the same score, largely because of too many visits to the left rough - a consequence of his natural fade mysteriously changing into a pull-hook.

Fred Couples also suffered. When set to share the lead with an expected birdie on the long 17th - a drive and mid-iron for most competitors - he had to settle for a par after driving into nature's minefield. So he joined Price and Loren Roberts at third place on 66.

With his beautiful, crisp action, Price covered the last seven holes in three under. "You have to drive the ball exceptionally well on this course because none of the holes are straight downwind or into the wind," he said. "The more solid contact you make with the ball, the better off you're going to be."

Interestingly, nobody sought refuge in the course as the source of their grief. It would have been an exercise in self-delusion, given the quality of a leaderboard that includes the reigning USPGA champion, Davis Love, who has recovered sufficiently from recent back problems to be only two strokes back.

"I'm always ready to win another major," declared Woods, when asked about his current mood. He went on: "Last year at Troon, I didn't really understand hitting an eight-iron 190 yards in the air because of some of the lies. But I now understand it a little more, after playing Waterville and Ballybunion (last week)."

He is clearly a fast learner, as one would expect. After all, Arnold Palmer won here in 1961 on only his second challenge in the championship and Watson was victorious on his debut at Carnoustie in 1975.

Meanwhile, low numbers have a special appeal for Huston who set a new USPGA Tour record only last February with a stunning, 28-under-par aggregate in the Hawaiian Open. That was after he began sleeping on magnets! Where most visitors were prepared to rely on traditional English bedding, Huston arrived with his own magnetic mattress, neatly folded into a duffle-bag.

A victim of back and shoulder problems, the 37-year-old believes it helps to keep those aches and pains at bay. "It's a mattress-cover and gives the feeling of a bumpy mattress," he explained. "Since I began trying it at the end last year, I've started feeling better."

It certainly seems to be helping his ball-striking, judging from a seven-iron of 215 yards which he hit to within four feet of the 18th pin to set up a closing birdie. This came as a particularly welcome bonus after Huston had reduced the 17th to a three-wood, six-iron and a 40-foot putt for an eagle three.

Ironically, though Woods had seven birdies on his card, the shot that effectively set up his round, delivered no more than a humble par at the second. After a pushed drive, he had 125 yards to the flag from a horrible lie.

Standing over the ball with a nine-iron, his immediate objective was to carry a greenside bunker, a distance of 108 yards. "I went at it just about as hard as I possibly could and tried not to let the grass turn the club over," he said. The power he delivered, surprised even himself. The ball travelled 120 yards and he two-putted for a highly improbable four.

"I'd much rather play this than our stadium golf back home," he said. "You have to be very creative to play over here. The only place I know of where we could practise these shots is in west Texas, where it's hard and dry." Which means he's going to be very disappointed when the rains come.

Ireland's Richard Coughlan is in real danger of missing the cut after a disappointing two-over-par 74 in the first round of the Deposit Guaranty Classic in Mississippi. He is nine shots behind leader Curt Byrum, who fired a seven-under-par 65 to lead after the first round for the second consecutive week.

Coughlan, starting on the ninth tee, was two over by the turn, and dropped a further shot at the sixth, before picking up a second birdie.