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Co-leader de Jonge enjoying Pebble's challenge

2010-06-18

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.—When Brendon de Jonge made the turn Thursday, he allowed himself to look at the leaderboard.

He was leading the U.S. Open at 3 under par. With nine holes to go.

"When I birdied, I knew I was around the lead," he said. "I took a step back and took it all in."

He got the chance to do it again after 18 when his 69 was good enough to share the first-round lead with Shaun Micheel and Paul Casey.

And, yes, he's looking forward to the second round—which means an early tee time and smooth greens.

The greens did indeed get bumpy late in the day and made putting a little tough.

"You have to try to stay patient," de Jonge said. "You could hit a good putt that didn't go in and hope some of your bad ones do. It evens out."

Of course, the burly Zimbabwe native who lives in North Carolina took the bumps out of the equation on the 14th hole when he holed out for eagle.

"Obviously it takes a lot of luck when something like that goes in," de Jonge said. "That's such a hard third shot, such a hard hole, period. It's a bonus, one of those things."

To prepare for his late-early tee times this week, de Jonge played practice rounds at both times. He said the difference in the conditions is noticeable.

"You can play with the ball to bounce 15 yards in the afternoon, you have to try to aim at the front of every green," he said. "In the afternoon you can be a little more aggressive if you drive it in the fairways."

This is de Jonge's first U.S. Open, but he said tough courses like Pebble Beach—he missed the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am here in February – play to his strength.

"I do like tough golf courses," he said. "I don't feel like I'm someone that can shoot a lot under par. It's fun having to think about it a little bit more. It's a good challenge."

--By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

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