General / Editor / 15 June 2007 / Leave a Comment

Nick Dougherty has indicated that the US Open could provide his best chance of winning a Major title.

The Englishman leads the field after the opening round at Oakmont, with the 25-year-old taking advantage of the favourable early conditions on Thursday.

A first round 68 for the 2002 European Tour's rookie of the year left him -2, one shot ahead of Argentina's Angel Cabrera - the only other player under par.
Having traded to small stakes at over 600, the Liverpudlian is now on offer at 50 to win the second Major of the season.
The Nick Faldo-protege admitted: "The course is playing as good as it could be for us. It's playing somewhat easier because you can stop the ball by the hole.
"It's still frightfully tough out there but the morning players definitely got the better half of it, especially if we don't get any more rain this week."
Speaking about the event, Dougherty added: "The US Open is my favourite tournament to play. I love the fun.

"Americans are noisier than us, and I like that. I love the atmosphere, the way the tournament is run and I love how tough the course is."

With the likes of Jose Maria Olazabal (Level), Niclas Fasth (+1), Justin Rose (+1) and Ian Poulter (+2) in and around the lead, a European victory can be backed at 3.5.