Keep that cardBeau Hossler: The 17-year-old amateur from Orange County, Calif., who has braces, shot a nifty even-par 70.
Toss that cardZach Johnson: His game, it seems, is perfectly suited for success at a U.S. Open. So his first-round 77 came as a surprise.
On the course with ...Phil Mickelson: On his first shot of the day, he hit 3-wood on No. 9 and snap-hooked it right. It quickly disappeared into the trees. Mickelson abandoned his search after 5 minutes and went back to the tee.
Well played ...Michael Allen: The 53-year-old has logged about 2,000 rounds as a club member but did something Thursday for the first time. He eagled No. 14, which played at 408 yards. Allen, the oldest player in the field, shot a 71.
One-puttAndy Zhang, at 14 the youngest qualifier in Open history, shot a 9-over 79. But he did play the last 13 holes 1 over, and a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th kept him out of the 80s.
Two-puttThe close proximity of the ninth tee to the clubhouse prompted the USGA to send players off holes No. 1 and No. 9 -- instead of the usual 10th -- during the first two rounds.
U.S. Open momentWith a light fog blanketing the grounds and San Francisco's steep hills in the backdrop, Shane Bertsch, Martin Flores and Tommy Biershenk teed off in the first group just after 7 a.m. local time. All three landed in the rough on the par-4 ninth.
The last word"Give Tiger the spotlight. I don't care. I'm going to go out and play my game. If I go out and putt the way I did today, I'll be in contention." -- First-round leader Michael Thompson, who had four birdies in his final eight holes
Day 2The field of 156 gets cut down to the top 60 and ties on Friday. ESPN coverage is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m.; NBC coverage is from 2 to 4 p.m.
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