Curtis bounces back to form

Ben Curtis put a poor US Open behind him to grab the lead after the first round of the Booz Allen Classic in Maryland.

The 2003 Open champion carded a nine-under-par 62 to take a one-stroke lead from Jeff Gove, with Argentina’s Jose Coceres another shot back.

“I hit every shot pretty much where I wanted to,” Curtis said. “Hit it close quite a few times and made a few putts as well. So everything, it just was slow and easy.

“I think after playing last week, the fairways look like they are 80 yards wide, the greens look huge, so you just kind of free-swing.”

Defending champion Sergio Garcia withdrew on Monday due to a back injury, leaving Padraig Harrington – 23rd in the world – as the highest ranked player in the field.

Harrington ended the day eight shots off the pace after signing for a one-under 70.

Curtis, in search of his second PGA Tour victory, fired nine birdies in a bogey-free round that was only one shot off the course record.

He started a run of four straight birdies on the second and had a run of five in a row on the back nine starting at the 13th.

Gove fired nine birdies and only a bogey at the par-four 10th kept him from a share of the lead.

Gove did not go through the wringer at Winged Foot last week and felt he was better for it.

“I had a week off last week and I needed it,” he said. “I had been playing decent but missing cuts last month so it’s been frustrating.

“So I went home and got revived. You know, you go home and your friends tell you how good you've played, and, OK, you pat yourself on the back. So I came out with a better attitude probably.”

Coceres, playing in just his fourth PGA event of the season, had eight birdies and a bogey.

Steve Flesch and Will MacKenzie are three shots back after each carded a 65.

Steve Stricker, who won this event in 1996 when it was known as the Kemper Open for his first PGA Tour title, fired a three-under 68.

Last week Stricker had the 36-hole lead and eventually finished sixth.

Garcia injured his back at the Barclays Classic two weeks ago and aggravated the problem at the US Open where he missed the cut.