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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Graeme McDowell is going to bed as the leader of the U.S. Open.

That’s where he’s going, but it doesn’t mean he’ll get much rest because there is a formidable mob gathering behind him.

For starters, there is Ernie Els who is rediscovering his game in time to reclaim his position as one of the sport’s best.

There is also Phil Mickelson, who is ready to punt into the Pacific Ocean that record of five runner-up finishes but no victories in the U.S. Open.

If that isn’t enough to make McDowell gag into the wee hours, some young talent has decided to join the hunt in the likes of Dustin Johnson and Ryo Ishikawa.

Johnson knows how to get around the Golf Links here; he’s the two-time defending AT&T champion. And Ishikawa, is an 18-year-old talent, who may just be young enough to not realize the pressure he’s supposed to feel.

Oh, Ishikawa also managed to shoot a round of 58 earlier this year to win a tournament in Japan.

Graeme McDowell putts at No. 8. Photo courtesy USGA/John Mummert

So, does McDowell think he’s got a shot? Absolutely.

“I’d be lying if I hadn’t thought about picking up the trophy on Sunday afternoon,” McDowell said. “I think that’s only natural.  But I’m trying to be very realistic about it, as well.”

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are co-favorites to win the U.S. Open, but their play Thursday was anything but fitting of front-runner status.

Mickelson, who is the lone card-holder of a possible Grand Slam this season, did not birdie a hole. In a seeming show of support, Woods didn’t strike the ball much better and decided to join him.

“I three‑putted twice and laid up on a bunker,” Woods said.  “Those are mistakes you just can’t afford to make.”

For the current Masters champion, it was a bit of a mystery. Mickelson was on the green on plenty of holes and the opportunities were there.

When pressed, he couldn’t quite remember the last round he didn’t card at least one birdie.

Phil Mickelson checks the yardage at No. 3. Photo courtesy USGA/Steve Gibbons

“I usually find a way to make some birdies, but this was tough,” said Mickelson, who started his round at the 10th.

Actually, there was no suspense to it at all.  He simply left himself with too many putts.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The afternoon found favor with three players, who managed to break 70 by close of business in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Shaun Micheel, Brendon De Jonge and Paul Casey all shot 69 to share the one-stroke lead here Thursday.

Both Casey and Micheel birdied 18 to get to two-under par for the championship while De Jonge carded a birdie two at the tough 17th.

A group of six is bunched a stroke back with K.J Choi, Ian Poulter, Alex Cejka, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Ryo Ishikawa and Mike Weir knotted together in the clubhouse with rounds 70.

“The first round, you can never win any tournament on the first day, but you can certainly lose it,” Casey said. “Yeah, it was ‑‑ you know, it was fun.”

Paul Casey at 11. Photo courtesy USGA/Mike Ehrmann

Masters champion Phil Mickelson shot a four-over 75  to continue his bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam while Tiger Woods bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 74.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.  — Tom Watson gets asked about two shots on a regular basis.

One he’d rather forget and the other will live forever in the lore of golf.

But gracious to his Midwestern roots, Watson will politely reply to queries on either.

The shots are equally momentous — one led to a major championship and the other to a major defeat, yet the definition of the man isn’t the result but the response.

Tom Watson during 2010 US Open practice round. Photo courtesy USGA/Steve Gibbons

In 1982, Watson was a five-time winner of the majors but a U.S. Open was not yet part of the resume. That all changed when he holed his wedge for a birdie on 17 during the final round here.

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He is the axis around which a golf tournament spins, raised exponentially if it is a major.

And so it is with the U.S. Open that is set to begin Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

The player is Tiger Woods, of course, a lightning rod of opinion.

Over the last several months, Woods has also shifted from the player who once so thoroughly dominated the sport to one who currently finds himself in that unenviable position of trying to find his golf swing.

The storied track knows him well, too.

Pebble Beach hosts fifth U.S. Open

It was Pebble Beach that was laid open by Woods’ supreme talents in 2000, when he toured the four days of U.S. Open play in 12-under par — a figure that was no fewer than 15 shots ahead of the field.

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Sure, everyone on tour can hit from the cart path but the beauty of Phil Mickelson is that he did.

Now, he was looking for a better result at the 15th of the Memorial on Sunday than the double-bogey seven that effectively scuttled his chances of winning the tournament, but it was the way he played the shot that makes any round of Mickelson’s worth watching.

Stick around for a hole or two and you’re gonna see him hit one from the trees, opt for a higher-risk flop than a low-running chip or launch a long approach shot from the concrete.

Possibly all three.

“Hitting off a cart path with a long shot with a wood or long iron, it’s not a problem,” Mickelson told PGATour.com. “You’re coming in very shallow. You pick the ball clean. Everybody out here on Tour can do that without thinking twice.”

Phil Mickelson in 2005. Photo by Reed

Mickelson had birdied the 14th at Muirfield Village and was looking to finish strong to make a run at eventual champion Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler. His drive at 15 was leagues from the fairway and he was forced to take a drop, which erased an eagle opportunity.

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Tiger Woods is hurt, he lost his coach and seemingly can’t find his swing.

It could be the trifecta that portends failure, but in the end will be the perfect storm for success.

This is a good thing; it’s the first indication that Tiger will be back.

Don’t kid yourself. Tiger Woods is good for the game and more so, he’s good for the sport.

Golf is infinitely more interesting with Tiger on the course, an edge that grows more keen if he’s anywhere near the lead.

Phil Mickelson won the Masters, and it was a great story. The right guy won, but Woods provided the perfect foil.

Lefty hit the right shots, the money shots, the shots made by champions, but outplaying the guy who is recognized as possibly the best golfer the game has seen kicked the theater up a notch.

Tiger Woods in 2007. Photo by Keith Allison

What has happened to Woods’ game since, should come as no surprise.

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The pain apparently became too much for Anthony Kim, who opted for surgery on his left thumb.

He expects to be out 10-12 weeks, which eliminates any chance of playing in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, June 17-20, and likely scuttles plans for the British Open at St. Andrews in July.

One key event remains on his calender, though, and that is the Ryder Cup which will be contested the first week in October in Wales.

To lobby for his spot on the team, Kim placed a call to USA team captain Corey Pavin and made his pitch.

“I told him, ‘Listen to this and I’m done, I won’t bother you again,” Kim told the Associated Press. “I want to play on your team so bad that the reason I played hurt is to make the team. I promise you if you put me on the team, I’m going to have a good attitude going over there. I’m the kind of player you want.”‘

Pavin will need to take the plea seriously.

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Tiger Woods has updated his schedule and will play in the Quail Hollow Championship.

The world’s No. 1 player confirmed in a post on his Web site that he will play in the PGA Tour stop scheduled for April 29-May 2. Earlier this week, Woods also filed his application to play in the U.S. Open.

“I’m excited about competing,” Woods said on TigerWoods.com about the Quail Hollow tournament. “It’s a wonderful venue, and they always have a great field.”

Tiger Woods in 2007. Photo by Keith Allison

Woods returned to competition at the Masters last week after a near five-month layoff for personal reasons. Immediately following Sunday’s final round, Woods told Peter Kostis of CBS that he would go home and reevaluate his next steps.

It didn’t take long.

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There is little question that Dustin Johnson likes Pebble Beach and if fairways could talk, the fabled course might say the feeling is mutual.

In the opening round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Thursday, Johnson signaled the defense of his title with an eight-under par 64 on the host course that featured seven birdies over the last 10 holes and five straight to cap his afternoon. The last of which came with a two-putt on the par-five finishing 18th.

Johnson is technically tied with Charley Hoffman, who also fired a 64. But Hoffman played his first round at Monterey Peninsula CC’s Shore course, which is playing to a par 70 for the tournament.

“Ever since the first time I came here I’ve really liked this golf course: the way it sets up to my eye,” said Johnson, who was the 54-hole winner last year after the final round was washed out. “It’s a special place. It’s so beautiful out here, especially today. The weather was awesome.”

J.B. Holmes played his way into a tie for second with an opening round 65 at Pebble Beach that included an eagle/birdie finish.

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