Parnevik well placed despite three putts

Jesper Parnevik fired an opening 69 in the first round of the Open on Thursday, despite three three-putts along the way.

The Swede, 36, who has a good Open record, mixed four bogeys with four birdies and an eagle-two at the short fifth to finish the day four shots behind early leader Colin Montgomerie.

"Those three-putts held me back a little bit," Parnevik said. "I three-putted the fourth to go to one over but I hit two great shots at the fifth and sixth for birdie-eagle, and that put me right back where I wanted to be."

The U.S.-based Parnevik, who desperately wants to qualify for this year's Ryder Cup without depending on a wild card selection, said he had been in full control of his ball-striking for most of the day.

"I played very well today. I hit pretty much all the shots I wanted - fades and draws when I needed them."

Parnevik said of Montgomerie: "This should be the perfect tournament for him...he definitely has the ability, everyone knows that."

The Swede, 26th on the U.S. Tour money list after winning the Honda Classic in March, is determined to make the most of this week's Open, as well as two more events either side of the Atlantic, to advance his Ryder Cup claims.

"If I won this week, then I would qualify on my own and wouldn't have to rely on a pick," he said. "But there are a few more days to go to think about that and my main focus is to give myself a chance to win this tournament.

"After this week, I've still got the Scandinavian Masters and the U.S. PGA where there are a lot of points included. I still would love to qualify on my own."

And Parnevik might just do it.

He has, after all, an enviable track record in the British Open, with second-place finishes in 1994 and 1997 and a share of fourth at Royal Birkdale in 1998.

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