Strong start stretches McDowell's US Open golf lead

PEBBLE BEACH, California (AFP) - Graeme McDowell stretched his US Open lead with a birdie-birdie start as his nearest pursuers were slow off the mark at windy Pebble Beach.

Northern Ireland's McDowell, seeking his first major title, moved to five-under for the tournament through two holes Saturday, before giving a shot back at the third - where he was in a fairway bunker.

But three of the four players who started the day two shots behind him ran into trouble right off the bat on a course that offered scoring opportunities early but was toughing up in the afternoon sun and wind.

Masters champion Phil Mickelson, seeking the second leg of the grand slam as well as a first US Open title after five runner-up finishes, opened with two bogeys.

Mickelson failed to keep the momentum going from his sparkling 66 of Friday - the lowest round of the championship so far.

Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa and Ernie Els, who also started the day two behind McDowell, both bogeyed the first, which left Dustin Johnson alone in second after two opening pars.

Tiger Woods, who insisted he still had a chance at a 15th major title here when he finished the second round seven shots off the lead, recovered from back-to-back bogeys at two and three with three birdies in a row from the fourth.

He bogeyed eight to make the turn at even for the day, and curled in a birdie putt at 10.

Four players started the day at even par - Germany's Alex Cejka, American Jerry Kelly, Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge and England's Paul Casey.

Kelly had a wild start with two bogeys followed by two birdies followed by a bogey. Casey took a triple-bogey seven at the second, de Jonge had a bogey and double-bogey to start.

Cejka remained at even par, where he was joined by France's Gregory Havret and South Korean KJ Choi. Havret started the day two-over and birdied the fifth and sixth to jump up the leaderboard.

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee enlivened the morning with the first hole-in-one of the championship. He hit an eight-iron at the par-three fifth hole, which was set up Saturday to to play 181 yards from the right side of the tee to a front-left pin.

The ace came right after Thongchai took a double-bogey six at the fourth - where the tee markers were moved up 40 paces to tempt players to try to drive the green.

Several morning players were able to take advantage at the fourth, including American Davis Love, Canadian Mike Weir and Sweden's Henrik Stenson, who all made eagle there.

Love drained a 14-footer for eagle at four and had four birdies in his three-under 68. Weir holed an 18-foot putt from the fringe - the last highlight of a round that ballooned to an 83.

Tom Watson, winner of the US Open at Pebble Beach in 1982, fired a one-under 70 in the morning.

But the 60-year-old Watson, who has played all five of the US Opens contested here, warned that the greens would get tougher, with the bumps that are the hallmark of the poa annua grass becoming more pronounced.

"The backs of those turtles get higher and higher, and the winds will come up and it will dry out the lower parts of these greens," Watson said. "It will get more bumpy. It has always been the case here."