Sisk starts strong, holds on to shoot 72; Sokol 4-over through 14
 Triple on 13 erases Sisk's hot start

 June 17 By Dominic Dastoli

            In the U.S. Open, a score of 72 is usually an acceptable round, particularly at a demanding course like Shinnecock Hills.  In fact, Raymond Floyd credited his 1986 triumph to a gusty first round 75 under dreadful playing conditions. In the first round of this year's open, however, mother nature was unusually tame, making conditions ripe for low scoring. 2-under par through 12 holes, Cleveland Golf Tour star Geoff Sisk found himself on the front page of the leaderboard and in position to shoot something far lower than 72. A triple bogey on the par 4 13th seemed to stall out his early round momentum, though, and he played the final five holes in 1-over par to end the day in 42nd position with a host of players, including Chad Campbell and Tiger Woods.

            Despite the unfortunate miskew, Sisk finds himself just six shots back of overnight leaders Jay Haas, Shigeki Maruyama, and Angel Cabrera. With nearly one third of the field unable to complete their first round due to a mid-afternoon fog storm that rolled in from the Long Island Sound, Sisk's position on the leaderboard could improve before he even tees it up in round two.

            As long as Sisk is able to hover around par, he stands a chance to not only play the weekend, but to contend. History proves that par is the magic figure by which all U.S. Open champions are measured, and you need to look no further than the Open's history at Shinnecock for proof of that. This is the 4th time Shinnecock has hosted the Open, and only the aforementioned Raymond Floyd has managed to finish the tournament in red figures. With sunny skies and minimal precipitation scheduled for the final two rounds, Shinnecock should be in it's usual fast and firm self, a classic recipe for a great open finish.

            Fellow Cleveland Golf  Tour star Steve Sokol, who suffered a double bogey to start his round, quickly righted his ship and stood at just 4-over par through 14 holes when the fog rolled in.

            Sisk is looking to make his second cut in four tries at the Open, having finished in 30th place at Pinehurst in 1999. Sokol, meanwhile, made it through local and sectional qualifying and is making his debut in the national open.