Promising start at Pebble Beach puts Poulter in the mix

Poulter was a joint-leader at one under par heading to the last on a day of difficult scoring for the 156-man field.

Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark had been the very early leader ahead of Italy's Edoardo Molinari as play got under way at Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Pacific Ocean coast on a cool dry morning that was firming up already fast, small greens.

Yet as the first round took shape in California, Korea's KJ Choi assumed the leadership as he reached three under after 14 holes, one shot ahead of former Masters champion Mike Weir of Canada and American David Toms, the former US PGA winner.

Poulter, the world No 8, was going steadily at one under after 12 holes having recovered from a bogey at the second hole and he shared a tie for third with Spanish debutant Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who was playing the final hole of his round at the ninth.

Without a European winner since Tony Jacklin's 1970 victory at Hazeltine, the US Open has become an elusive prize for the continent's golfers with Colin Montgomerie a three-time runner-up while Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Miguel Angel Jimenez have also just missed out.

Yet when Choi dropped a shot at 15th to fall back to two under, Poulter birdied the 13th and moved into a four-way lead with Toms and Weir. Cabrera-Bello, parred his final hole at the ninth to take the clubhouse lead at one under par with an opening round of 70, while American Craig Barlow was the only other player under par, one under after 12 holes.

Both Poulter and Choi came back to join the Spaniard on one under, the Korean dropping a shot at the famous par-three 17th while England's WGC-Accenture Match Play champion bogeyed the par-five 14th.

And Weir joined them with bogeys on his last two holes to get to the clubhouse with a 70, while Toms fell off the pace with three bogeys in a row.

Luke Donald, one of four Englishmen in the world's top 10, was in the clubhouse at level par following his two-birdie, one double bogey round of 71.

Kjeldsen had a disappointing end to a day that had begun with the Dane reaching three under after six holes, finishing with a one-over 72.

Italy's Edoardo Molinari could not steer his round home, either having dropped two shots on the back nine to return to level par, double bogeying both the 17th and par-five 18th on the way to a four-over 75.

Ireland's three-time major winner Harrington and Masters champion Mickelson were similarly frustrated.

Harrington, just three weeks on from undergoing minor knee surgery, had started brightly on the back nine with a birdie at the 11th before he bogeyed the par-four 15th while five-time US Open runner-up Mickelson, who turned 40 yesterday, was the model of consistency as he opened with six straight pars.