Karlsson and Singh lead US PGA

Robert Karlsson and Jeev Milka Singh made the early running at Oakland Hills with opening rounds of two-under-par 68 at the 90th US PGA Championship.

Sweden’s Karlsson, a top-10 finisher in each of the first three majors of 2008, bounced back from an opening double bogey at the par-four first hole to birdie five of the next seven holes and added another at the 11th before bogeys at the par-four 14th and 15th holes sent him back to two under for his round.

“It was great,” Karlsson said. “Actually I played really, really well.

“I went for the pin at the first – silly boy – but then I played really well on the front nine and got the putter going.

“The greens were absolutely perfect, so once I rolled a couple in, I just keep going. It was good.”

Singh, from India, also began with bogey at the first and then eagled the par-five second on his way to a 68 which also featured three birdies and two additional bogeys.

Among the early finishers, Karlsson and Singh held a one-shot lead over American Ken Duke and Sergio Garcia, the Spaniard who bogeyed the last for a 69.

Karlsson and Garcia are part of a strong and much-hyped European contingent at Oakland Hills bidding to break a winless streak dating back to Tommy Armour of Scotland in 1930.

Hopes that the 78-year drought can end this weekend have been boosted by the fact that the par-70, 7,395-yard course near Detroit played host to Europe’s 18.5-9.5 victory over the United States in the 2004 Ryder Cup.

Eight of the team who won in formidable style four years ago returned to Oakland Hills – but it was a mixed bag for the European heroes who started out early on a cool, clear and sunny morning.

Paul Casey double bogeyed the par-four 11th hole, his second of the day, on the way to a two-over 72 which closed with the Englishman three-putting his last hole, the ninth, for a bogey.

“I didn’t put it on the fairway as often as I needed to,” Casey said. “And I made it very, very difficult.

“I think there were two holes that I was frustrated on, the three-putt on the ninth and then the 11th, I actually hit a very good tee shot and it kicked off into the rough and then pulled a four-iron into the bunker for the third shot. It’s disappointing not to birdie the par-fives because they’re both reachable today.

“I hit good shots away that looked pretty good and both times it put me in positions where I couldn’t reach the green.

“That was disappointing because you’ve got to take advantage of those holes - they’re few and far between out there.”

Colin Montgomerie shot a 76 and Lee Westwood, who tied for second at last weekend’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, endured a nightmare opening day with a first-round 77.

Anthony Kim, a two-time PGA Tour winner this year in his second season, returned from a disappointing Bridgestone Invitational to card a level par 70.

Kim, fifth on the US points list, is set to qualify automatically for the US Ryder Cup team as the final major of the year counts as the last event for Americans to claim one of the eight automatic spots on Paul Azinger’s team for Valhalla next month.

Faring less well among the early-starting American hopefuls, Hunter Mahan, 10th on the US points list, slumped to an 11-over-par 81, a week after causing controversy over comments to a magazine in which he called Ryder Cup players “slaves”.

With defending champion Tiger Woods unable to bid for a third consecutive US PGA victory following season-ending knee surgery, the tournament is viewed as wide open with world number two and 2005 champion Phil Mickelson the bookmakers’ 10-1 favourite.

Mickelson opened his challenge with a level-par 70.