BETHESDA, Md. -- Bo Van Pelt kept bogeys off his card and picked up an extra shot when his wedge spun back into the hole for an eagle. Its a formula that would work well at a U.S. Open, which is what Congressional felt like Thursday in the AT&T National. On a day when the temperature was in the 90s and only seven players managed a score in the 60s, Van Pelt opened with a 4-under 67 to grab a one-shot lead over Vijay Singh, Brendon De Jonge and Jimmy Walker, who bogeyed his final hole. Tiger Woods was never under par in the afternoon and opened with a 1-over 72. So this is what the U.S. Open was supposed to look like. The venerable Blue Course took a beating last year in the so-called toughest test in golf when unfavourable weather conditions in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Open and overnight rain during the championship made Congressional a pushover. Rory McIlroy had a record score of 16-under 268 for an eight-shot victory. The AT&T National was more of a grind. "Its certainly, I think, a little retribution for what happened last year," Woods said. "Dont be mad at me. I didnt play." Woods missed the U.S. Open last year while recovering from injuries to his left leg. He won at Congressional in 2009 the last time the AT&T National was played here, and he won at 13-under 267. That was nothing like the course he faced Thursday. Billy Hurley III, who went to the Naval Academy and spent five years in the service, joined Pat Perez and Jason Day at 2-under 69. The seven players in the 60s were two less than the opening round at the U.S. Open last year. Four players failed to break 80, just like a year ago, only the 120-man field at the AT&T National is filled with PGA Tour players. For the U.S. Open, two of those rounds in the 80s were by amateurs, a third by Ty Tryon. "I think everybody knows the golf course last year just wasnt quite ready to be set up the way they wanted it to be set up, and its unfortunate," Van Pelt said. "I know they spent a lot of time and money to get it ready, and some things are out of your control. I said it last year -- they needed one more year, and basically you could have a U.S. Open here this week if you wanted it. "Thats the way its set up." The sunshine and heat figure to make it tougher over the next few days, especially on the weekend. Nick Watney, the defending champion (at Aronimink) who was in the large group at 70, said the more fair comparison was with the U.S. Open held two weeks ago at The Olympic Club. Michael Thompson led after the opening day at 4-under 66, and Webb Simpson won at 1-over 281. Van Pelt only twice struggled to make par, making a 30-foot putt on the 15th and a 20-footer on the par-5 sixth hole. Equally impressive was his bunker shot on the 18th to tap-in range, and he took those vibes to the first hole. After an aggressive drive, he had 93 yards to the hole and figured it was a good time to put to test all the work he has done on his wedge play. It worked out better than he imagined, holing it for an eagle. "I actually thought it had kind of spun back in front of the hole, and all of a sudden this guy behind the green started going nuts," Van Pelt said. "You never know when those are going to happen, so its nice to get a deuce." Even better was not making a bogey and giving himself a good start going into his Friday morning start of the second round. Woods never got it going, and he made two blunders late in the round with his bunker play, which also was suspect in the U.S. Open two weeks ago. After making a 15-foot birdie putt on the 14th, he put his approach into the bunker right of the green on the 15th. His shot barely got out of the sand, and he stubbed a chip, leaving him a 7-footer that he had to make for bogey. On the next hole, he was 244 yards from the hole when he pulled a 4-iron to the bunker short of the green on the par-5 16th. The gallery groaned when the ball emerged from the bunker and barely got onto the green, costing him a reasonable birdie chance. He two-putted from 30 feet for par. Woods attributed it to the amount of sand in the bunkers and that his 60-degree wedge "is not built for this much sand." "So I have to make an adjustment and hit the ball a little bit closer, make sure I hit a little closer to the golf ball," he said. "And I just didnt do it." Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan and Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III were at 70, along with Robert Garrigus, who tied for third last year at the U.S. Open by breaking par in all four rounds. He feigned a yawn coming out of the clubhouse Thursday. "Just another round under par here," he said. His 70 in the opening round of the AT&T National felt more like a 67. "I was flying irons around the hole and they were gone," he said, referring to the firmness of the greens. It was a big day for Hurley, for so many reasons -- a Navy man at a tournament that celebrates the military, on a Congressional golf course not far from where he learned to play golf and then attended the Naval Academy. "I think they started Plebe summer today," Hurley said, grinning. Hurley played bogey-free until a litany of bad breaks on his last hole. His tee shot hit a tree and went even farther left, making it tough to even get back to the fairway. His third shot that he laid up short of the green settled into a divot. And his par putt from 20 feet hit a spike mark. Even so, he was happy with the start. "This is a heck of a golf course," Hurley said. "You have to hit a lot of quality shots, and I was able to do that. Even at this place, you hit quality shots that end up with not a good look at birdie sometimes." Cheap Jerseys NFL . 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Wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Travis Benjamin, linebacker Scott Fujita, cornerback Dimitri Patterson, tight end Jordan Cameron, and defensive tackle Scott Paxson did not practice Sunday as the Browns (No.SURREY, B.C. -- Khalif Mitchell is expressing no regrets as he gets ready to face Simeon Rottier and the Edmonton Eskimos again. The two are expected to clash Saturday as Mitchells Lions (8-3) visit the Eskimos (5-6) in the Albertan capital. The last time the B.C. Lions defensive lineman battled Edmonton, in a July loss at B.C. Place Stadium, he twisted Rottiers arm awkwardly after a play in the first half and received a two-game suspension. "Its football -- it happens," said Mitchell after practice Tuesday. "It was something that happened. I already was given a discipline and served it, so Im not worried about it no more." Mitchell was not penalized during the game, but CFL commissioner Mark Cohon decided to hand him the longest suspension for an in-game incident. Mitchell launched an appeal that delayed his punishment, but the arbitration case was unsuccessful. Rottier was immediately sidelined with an elbow injury but is now back on Edmontons roster. Mitchell, a 27-year-old who is in his third season with the Lions, said he will take his usual "tough" approach to the game at Commonwealth Stadium. "Im not scheming any players," he said. "Im not going to do nothing crazy. Ive gotta go against their whole offence." Mitchell is not expecting a hostile response from the Eskimos, contending he would have received one in the second half of the previous meeting, or their fans. He believes the incident has had a positive effect on his career and shone a light on linemen who take considerable punishment on every play while playing critical roles, but often remain anonymous. "A lot of people that didnt know Khalif Mitchell now know Khalif Mitchell," he said. "A lot of people that didnt pay attention to the line of scrimmage now pay attention to the line of scrimmage. "One thing I learned is that, even when things all around you are going bad, there are still things to look at if you look at each person." He discovered that, contrary to what he thought, many people do like him. "It brought out the clarity in people," he said. "When a lot of dark stuffs going around you, you start to see light come out brighter." Rottier has expressed forgiveness publicly for Mitchell. The Lion said he had communication with Rottier during a disciplinary hearing with Cohon, but Mitchell does not see a need to speak to him again about the incident. Mitchell said he rarely speaks to opposing offensive linemen, although he did talk to some from Hamilton at dinner following a game and others from Saskatchewan Roughriders at a party. "Im not really looking at anything to say or justify any reasonings, or trying too have any revenge on anybody.dddddddddddd ... Im not looking to expect anything." Lions coach Mike Benevides said he has not offered Mitchell any special advice in wake of the previous games incident. The B.C. field boss indicated the team has moved past it. However, Benevides also indicated that he expects Mitchell, a self-taught classical pianist who is a personable, gentle giant off the field but physical force on it, to remain disciplined. "My only words to him were: Lets go play to win the game. Lets stay focused on what we need to do," said Benevides. "That seems like an eternity (to) people who bring it up. But I know this: That the people around him and he himself have to focus on the right thing." Mitchell expressed more concern about getting a win against the Eskimos after they upset the Lions in their first meeting at B.C. Place Stadium. "They came in here and they won a good game and a tough game," said Mitchell. "But when we go back out there, were going to be better prepared for them." Meanwhile, Benevides has some difficult roster decisions to make as the Lions seek their seventh win in the past eight games. Middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who returned to play out his option last week after unsuccessful tryouts with Minnesota and Cleveland of the NFL, had to be slotted somewhere, in accordance with league rules, by Tuesday. The Lions had five days to make a decision on him, and Tuesday was the deadline. Benevides said the club would fit him in somehow, but he did not know exactly where. The coach said he would leave the move up to general manager Wally Buono. Elimimian participated in a warmup Tuesday, but missed practice with a hamstring injury suffered with Minnesota. He said his hamstring is getting better, but he does not know when he can suit up for a full practice. Second-year Lion Adam Bighill is excelling at his former starting middle linebacker spot and appears likely to hold the position again Saturday. "The first place Ive gotta get (Elimimian) back to right away is special teams," said Benevides. Running back Stu Foord also missed practice due to an ankle injury suffered in last weekends win over Toronto and is considered questionable. Benevides said there is a "distinct possibility" that Kierrie Johnson, out with a broken arm suffered after scoring a touchdown in early July against Saskatchewan, will be added to the roster. Notes: Three Lions took CFL player of the week honours announced Tuesday. Quarterback Travis Lulay took the offensive award while receiver Shawn Gore was named top Canadian and returner Tim Brown garnered the special teams honour. 20:37ET 18-09-12 ' ' '