Golf / US Open: Briton lets his rivals sweat it out: Montgomerie shoots 65 to set the pace in the second round of the US Open

IF Oakmont was a woman, Tom Watson said before the start of the 94th US Open Championship, it would never say 'I do.' She continued to play hard to get in the second round yesterday and just as Watson was getting familiar he was put firmly in his place. A 73 dropped him back to one under par as Colin Montgomerie proceeded to set the pace with a 65.

Watson, who also said that 95 per cent of the field would be thoroughly embarrassed by the bitch, had to revise his judgement after a first round of 68 gave him a one stroke lead over Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Ernie Els and Frank Nobilo. Watson went out early yesterday morning after the start was delayed by 10 minutes because of fog. Fog? We are in the middle of a heat wave, the championship is threatened with meltdown and summer time has not even officially started here. The difference in temperature from January to June is 127 degrees and rising.

It turned out nice and sweltering again yesterday and Big Monty, who has been particularly affected by the heat, did not let it affect his concentration. 'I played better from tee to green and I put the ball in the right position,' Montgomerie said. 'Hitting the fairways is the key. That round is about as good as I can do.' Resuming at level par he had birdies at the second and third with putts from 10 and five feet and enjoyed an outrageous stroke of fortune at the par five ninth. Montgomerie found the bunker to the right of the green with his second shot and holed out from the sand for an eagle that put him at three under.

He also had birdies at the 11th, 12th and 18th for an inward half of 32 to advance to six under, two strokes in front of Irwin and John Cook and three in front of Nicklaus. Montgomerie, who is mindful of the fact that no European has won this championship since Tony Jacklin 24 years ago, is playing in only his third US Open. In his first at Pebble Beach two years ago Nicklaus was so convinced the Scotsman was going to win he said so on television but Tom Kite defied the prediction.

Nicklaus had three birdies in the first five holes yesterday but he dropped two strokes to fall back to three under in a round of 70. 'It's nice to have a little cushion,' Montgomerie said, 'but anything can happen and probably will.'

What with Watson, Nicklaus and Irwin on the leaderboard it might be assumed that Miss Oakmont favoured the older man but the younger generation, comparatively speaking, also beat a path to her door led by Big Monty.

Jeff Maggert from Texas, who began the day at level par, finished it at three under following a 68. Maggert's previous best performance in the US Open was joint 52nd last year. Steve Pate came in with a 66 to move from three over to two under; John Cook was another to make light of the conditions and he went to the turn in 31 en route to a 65.

Where Watson, who 21 years ago squandered a lead to lose the US Open here to Larry Nelson, looks vulnerable is when he stands over those putts of twitch factor length like three to four feet. He should have birdied the 13th but missed from a few feet and he did so again at the 14th, three putting from no more than 12 feet.

He had a total of 36 putts on greens he said were quicker than on Thursday. 'In an ideal world you shouldn't take more than 26,' Watson said. 'I let a pretty good score get away.' He said he was retiring to the practice putting ground. What, he was asked, was he going to work on? 'The Catholic method,' he replied. 'Rhythm. Is that, by the way, politically correct?'

Still, compared to Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal, Watson was in good shape. A 75 put Faldo at six over and out of Oakmont, his first missed cut in a major since the US PGA in 1986. 'It's as disappointing as anything I can remember,' he said. Woosnam added a 75 to a 77 for an aggregate of 152, 10 over par, while Olazabal was on eight over after a 74. The leading 60 plus ties and any player within 10 strokes of the lead survived to fight another day. Woosnam, who was joint 52nd with Maggert 12 months ago, was beating a hasty retreat from the heat of Pittsburgh and he could be back home in time to watch some of the Jersey Open.

John Daly, who shot 81 in the first round, was also packing his bags. He has just signed a deal with Wilson, the sporting goods company, that is expected to earn him dollars 30m over the next few years. That was the projected figure given at a press conference but as the rewards are performance related it may be on the optimistic side.

Peter Baker, playing in his first US Open, made the cut but had mixed feelings. He left home for America 11 days ago and the day after his departure his wife gave birth to a girl. Baker, 26 from Wolverhampton, cannot wait to see his daughter but after rounds of 73 - on both days he went out in 34 and came back in 39 - he still has some more golf to play.

Alas the same cannot be said of Arnold Palmer here. In his last appearance in the US Open he bowed out with an 81 but the spectators were not counting. They were too busy giving the 64-year-old Pennsylvanian a standing ovation. There was barely a dry eye in the house and Palmer, playing in his 32nd US Open, was so overcome with emotion that when he walked off the 18th green he was unable to utter a word.

US OPEN (Oakmont) Complete first- round scores (US unless stated): 68 T Watson. 69 J Nicklaus, E Els (SA), F Nobilo (NZ), H Irwin. 70 M Ozaki (Japan), C Strange, S Verplank, K Triplett. 71 C Dennis, H Meshiai (Japan), C Montgomerie (GB), B Crenshaw, M Calcavecchia, D Walsworth, M Wurtz, D Rummells, J Thorpe, S Lowery, J Maggert, G Norman (Aus), B Hughes (Aus). 72 E Aubrey, J Sluman, B Langer (Ger), S Hoch, S Ballesteros (Sp), S Torrance (GB), M O'Meara, H Royer, D Frost (SA), F Couples, B Jobe. 73 N Faldo (GB), M Lye, D Berganio, T Kite, C Beck, D Edwards, L Clements, T Armour, P Baker (GB), B Faxon, G Brand Jnr (GB), F Allem (SA), J Cook, J McGovern, B Craig. 74 M Bradley, P Goydos, O Browne, E Humenik, D Waldorf, D Ogrin, M Springer, M Smith, P Stewart, S Flesch, J Furyk, S Randolph, F Funk, M Hulbert, J Gallagher Jnr, S Pate, D Love, S Richardson (GB), S Simpson, M Emery, J Green, M Schiene. 75 * B Alexander, L Nelson, J Haas, M Sullivan, M Carnevale, P Stankowski, J Adams, N Henke, M Brooks, P Mickelson, W Grady (Aus), G Day, F Quinn, B Maddera, J Ferenz. 76 B Bryant, D Martin, H Taylor, N Price (Zim), R Gamez, B Britton, Brad Bryant, K Green, B Mayfair, J Huston, F Zoeller, J-M Olazabal (Sp), R Mediate, L Roberts, W Levi, T Barranger, T Dunlavey, B Studer. 77 M Allen, M Small, A Knoll (Can), E Johnson, C Rocca (It), I Woosnam (GB), L Mize, B Lane (GB), T Lehman, L Janzen, A Palmer, J Haeggman (Swe), J Morse, T Dodds (Nam). 78 M Soli, R Friend, C Pavin, B Tway, A North, G Hallberg, H Twitty, J Stacey, * D Delcher, C Perry, R Fehr, C Parry (Aus), J Mahaffey, C Stadler, D Clarke (GB). 79 P Horgan, B Kamm, M Kuramoto (Japan), G Morgan, J D Blake, F Lickliter, J Sanchez, T Simpson, * J Harris, S Medlin, T Garner, D DuChateau, W Burnitz. 80 M Grant, M Mielke, D Lundstrom, * C Barlow. 81 J Miller, J Daly, P Dewitt. 82 * R Sonnier, C Haarlow, * J Ferrari. 83 M Weeks, M Mason, I Baker-Finch (Aus). Retired: C Patton.

* denotes amateur

(Photograph omitted)