Oct 7, 2005 5 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Coming off his first victory in 19 months, Colin Montgomerie appears hungry for more. Montgomerie showed no effects from an emotional victory four days ago in Scotland, matching his career-low score in the United States with a 6-under 64 that gave him a three-shot lead Thursday in the American Express Championship.

Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and nine others were at 67 on a spectacular day at Harding Park, the municipal course along Lake Merced that got a $16 million makeover and held its own against the world’s best players.

It was right up Montgomerie’s alley.

He looked like the Monty of old with tee shots that split the tree-lined fairways, making the game look simple. The 42-year-old Scot ran off three straight birdies to close out the back nine, then added his lone birdie on the front with a wedge into 18 inches. What mattered more to him was no bogeys on his card.

“If I can hit fairways, I can hit greens,” he said. “And then I can score.”

Woods, who played Harding Park in junior high school when it was covered with weeds, stayed close until he stopped giving himself good chances, dropping a shot on the par-3 eighth and having to scramble for par at the end.

“If I shot something between 2- and 4-under par, I thought it would be pretty good,” Woods said. “They’ve done a wonderful job tucking the pins. The greens are firm, so you’ve got to be careful.”

It was the first test at Harding Park, which had not hosted golf’s best players since the late 1960s. The course is considered relatively short at 7,086 yards, although the firm greens with subtle contours kept anyone from going outrageously low.

“A muni just means it’s owned by the city,” Phil Mickelson said after stumbling to a 71. “It doesn’t mean it’s an easy or hard course.”

It was plenty easy for Montgomerie.

He missed only two greens, and saved par both times with 10-foot putts that kept his momentum going – not only in the opening round, but in a summer that has turned his fortunes around more than he could have imagined.

Montgomerie fell as low as No. 83 in the world ranking and failed to qualify for The Players Championship and the Masters in the spring. But as he coped with a divorce last year and controversy over an apparent rules breach in March at the Indonesian Open, he suddenly finds himself headed toward the top.

He was runner-up to Woods at the British Open, then returned to St. Andrews to win the Dunhill Links Championship last week with a birdie on the final hole, moving him to No. 16 in the world and within range of an eighth Order of Merit on the European tour.

Then came his 64, matching the 7-under 64 he shot at Riviera in the second round of the Nissan Open in February.

“Ninety percent of it is carryover from Sunday,” he said. “If I finished third or fourth on Sunday, I wouldn’t have shot 64 today, simple as that.”

Better yet, it gave him optimism about winning an official tournament in the United States. Montgomerie has been runner-up four times, three of those in the majors.

“I would love to win in America. There’s no secret to that,” he said.

He might not have expected this week to present the next opportunity, not after the emotions of winning at St. Andrews, which he called the most important victory in his career, and not after flying 12 hours from Scotland.

It was his first time in San Francisco since the ’98 U.S. Open across Lake Merced at The Olympic Club, where Montgomerie was heckled throughout the weekend. The galleries have been far more supportive of late, which the surly Scot attributes to him no longer being the threat he once was.

Woods remains a threat, and he had few complaints about his 67 other than being unable to get his wedges close enough for a good run at birdie.

His start was delayed when a woman collapsed after Woods’ name was announced on the 10th tee.

Police said she was treated in the clubhouse and was fine. Woods birdied two of his first four holes, but failed to capitalize on birdie putts inside 12 feet.

John Daly was tied with Montgomerie late in the round, carried along by prodigious drives. None fired up the fans more than driving the 350-yard seventh hole as Woods was standing off to the side waiting for the eighth tee to clear.

“First time I’ve seen him lose his balance on a shot,” Woods said. “You can tell that one, he let it go.”

Sadly for Daly, the epoxy on the hosel of his putter gave way late in the round, which contributed to three-putt bogeys on his final two holes for a 67. He was furious as he headed to the trailer to get it fixed.

“Ninth time this year,” he said. “I am so sick of this.”

The only universal love was for Harding Park. While some players anticipated multiple scores in the low 60s with little breeze, only 26 players in the 71-man field managed to break par.