Golf bag shows up late, but game's on time

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Getting here is half the story for every first-time U.S. Open participant. For Rafael Cabrera-Bello, whose name was tied at the top of the leader board when he left the course Thursday afternoon, his story was only half the story.

The native of Spain and resident of the Canary Islands did reach California just fine on Sunday night, despite a delay because of a snafu with his electronic visa waiver. The same, however, could not be said of his clubs. Airlines lost his bag on the way.

"Well, they didn't lose it. They actually forgot it in Philadelphia," said the 26-year-old European Tour player. A golfer playing Pebble Beach for the first time, at his first major, tends to get anxious when his clubs aren't around.

"When you're at the belt you're waiting for them and you see that everyone has got their stuff and you're still waiting around, I mean you see like the airline bag that says like this is the last bag out," he said.

He just walked the course on Monday with a couple wedges that his equipment company supplied. And the clubs showed up later that day.

He birdied his first hole Thursday and played par golf after that, amazingly temporarily tied for the lead in the Open. So what does he expect the rest of the week? "Absolutely nothing," he said. "I played good today because I was actually doing the exact opposite, not really expecting anything of me."

Chip shots

Ryan Moore made an impressive bogey 4 on No. 17, having sprayed his tee shot over the 18th tee, then having had to balance himself so as not to fall off the cliff . . . On the same hole, Aaron Baddeley's tee shot grazed the cup, then he four-putted . . . Former Clarke High and Nassau CC star Arjun Atwal shot 4-over-par 75.