Karlsson class tells but Ryder heroes falter in U.S. PGA start

So much for all those shiny, happy memories of winning the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills helping the troops at the U.S. PGA Championship this week.

Four years ago, Lee Westwood was the man who holed the putt that meant the trophy was retained; Colin Montgomerie drained the putt that meant it was won.

All that added up to nothing on Thursday as both demonstrated Monty's old saying that you can only lose a tournament on the opening day, not win it.

Sand storm: Westwood plays out of a bunker after a wayward shot at the 12th

Neither went quietly, mind. Monty shot 76 and muttered a few dark thoughts about the course set-up. He was followed 10 minutes later by Westwood, who was one shot worse and went several steps further in his condemnation.

'When they set up a course like this, they suck all the fun out of major championships,' he said. 'You need to reward the accurate hitters, like they did at the U.S. Open, but they are not doing that here.

'I was 12 inches off the fairway on one hole and couldn't reach the green 95 yards away. But if you spray it miles off line you can have a clear shot.That is what you are battling against.'

Alongside The Open this is usually the major that rewards attacking play but, it has to be said, that is not the case this week. If truth be told, it is a pretty charmless set-up, demanding the same response over and over again - belt it long and belt it straight.

It led to a muted first morning, with few cheers echoing from grandstands filled with over 40,000 people. It was not exactly what the game needed on this side of the Atlantic, where the absence of Tiger Woods is treated like the end of the world as we know it.

Swede Robert Karlsson and Jeev Milkha Singh from India were the men who coped best among the first half of the field to finish, as they compiled two under par rounds of 68.

For Karlsson, it was no more than business as usual, since he is the only man in the game who can boast top ten finishes in each of the year's first three majors.

Splashing out: Karlsson clears a bunker at the 15th on his way to a 68

It still represented a remarkable recovery from a double bogey at the first. There have been times in the tempestuous career of the Swede when who knows what might have happened after such a calamitous beginning. This is the man who once whacked a metal railing with his driver after one errant tee shot.

These days, however, the 38-year-old does serene rather than stroppy, with the result that an immensely rich talent is now in full bloom. Never mind the majors; he has hardly been off a leaderboard in any event he has played this year.

The one nagging doubt comes from the fact he has yet to win. Has he acquired that ounce of self-belief to turn a very good career into a great one?

More good news for Europe's Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo came in the form of Sergio Garcia's opening round of 69. Actually, the Spaniard gave a little credence to Westwood's theory, since his driver was untypically wayward, but he managed to escape.

Garcia acknowledged that he would have to work on his driving. 'I need to go to the range and get a little more confidence with my driver, because you can't be missing a lot of fairways here and expect to do well,' he said.

Garcia was part of the morning's most exciting group, since he was paired with two more pin-ups in Camilo Villegas from Columbia and America's hottest prodigy, Anthony Kim.

Power hitter: Kim gets wrapped up in watching his drive on the 12th

Will we see Garcia and Kim as the two cheerleaders for either side at next month's Ryder Cup? If this is a taster, it is an exciting prospect.

Garcia won this battle by a stroke. But Kim, just 23, is every bit as good to watch. Take his play at the 5th. A drive full of youthful energy flew so far he found the creek that cuts across the fairway, 365 yards from the tee.

No matter. One short iron and a 6ft putt later, and he had rescued par to finish on the same mark as world No 2, Phil Mickelson.

Paul Casey fared best among the British players out in the first wave, although he was hardly in a jovial mood after an untidy three putt on his final hole meant a 72. 'A frustrating end to a disappointing day,' he said.

England's Simon Dyson and Scot Alastair Forsyth shot 73. Of those chasing precious Ryder Cup points, Ross Fisher and Oliver Wilson will do well to collect any after ballooning to rounds of 77 and 78 respectively.  

As if the set-up wasn't difficult enough, the afternoon starters had to cope first with a freshening wind and then an early evening weather delay, as lightning moved across the area.

Open champion Padraig Harrington, who had begun with three straight birdies, had given all of them back by the time the suspension came, when he was playing the 15th hole. Nevertheless, he remained on the eminently respectable mark of level par.

Justin Rose and Darren Clarke were two over after 11 and 15 holes respectively, while Ian Poulter was three over after 10.